A Year in the Life
by Asilrrah
Summary: A story that takes place over the course of one year in the lives of The Unit men & women. Focuses on Charlie Grey. Completed. Hope you like it.
1. Part 1

January

Jonas Blane sat in Colonel Ryan's office listening to the Senator ramble on about the latest proposal, paying attention to every other word and jotting random notes down in his portfolio. Ryan seemed interested but who knew if he would approve the plan, even if it did come from the President himself. Of course, since it did come from the President, it didn't matter if Ryan approved it or not. It would be implemented, at least for a test run.

But the Senator still insisted on coming down and showing off his pet project of the year. After all, it was an election year.

Charles Grey and Hector Williams walked out of the locker room after a full day of training and bickered back and forth about their plans for the evening.

"Let's go to Brewster's, it's Friday night, we'll find some hot chicks man, what you say?" Charlie pestered Hector. Hector shook his head slowly as they walked down the corridor, "you never give up, do you? What happened with that receptionist from last week?" Charlie's grin widened, but never reached his eyes, "oh, she was great, we had fun. But that was last week." He winked at his buddy as they turned the corner and stopped outside room 27B noticing several corporals moving furniture and installing wiring.

"What do you think is going on here?" Charlie asked in a low voice.

"I don't know, but this morning this was a storage room, wasn't it?"

"Yep. Wonder if Top knows, here he comes." Charlie motioned as Hector looked up and they both noticed Blane trailing a step behind the Colonel, the Senator from Georgia, and a handful of aides.

"Senator, I assure you my staff is fully capable without any interference from Homeland Security. We have functioned as a solitary unit since inception and while I appreciate you coming down here to see me personally, I still don't think we have a need to supplement our Intelligence Division or add additional manpower to MY unit." Colonel Ryan forcefully intoned as the men reached the end of the corridor.

The Senator responded just as forcefully, "Colonel, I appreciate your honesty and candor but please remember this directive is not coming from me, it's coming from the office of the President of the United States. You report directly to the office, and the man in the office has decided to implement this program, at least temporarily, and there's nothing you can do to prevent it." The Senator lowered his voice in a semi friendly gesture as his cell phone started to ring, "Really, Tom, don't stress over this, you may find out just how much your unit can benefit from this new team." He walked off answering his phone while beckoning for his aides to follow him out to the car.

Williams looked up at his commanding officer, "what was that about, Sir?"

Colonel Ryan took a deep breath and shook his head slightly, walking off without answering the younger man.

Jonas motioned for Charlie and Hector to follow him into the break room and all three men sat down with a cold beer, ready to end the work day.

"The President is trying to convince the Colonel that he needs some hotshot computer hacker, on loan from Homeland Security, for a few months. The Senator's on the appropriations committee and the President asked him to be the go between for us and HS about a team of intelligence analysts." He paused momentarily to take a few swigs from his bottle.

Jonas continued "Supposedly, the President and the Director of Homeland Security already worked out the nitty gritty details. And then, came to Ryan. You can guess how well that went over."

"Bet he loved being the last to know." Charlie cracked.

Jonas smiled, "Right. The President just signed the Executive Order, and room 27B will have new tenants within the month."

The three men sat quietly for a few minutes, each lost in his own thoughts.

"Well," Hector said, "let's look on the bright side, maybe they play a mean game of pool."

On that note, the men laughed, and tossed their empty bottles into the recycling bin, as they walked out of the room.

"Where you boys off to this fine winter evening?" Jonas asked, walking out into the chilly air, leading the way to the parking lot.

Hector gestured towards Charlie as he answered, "He's dragging me out to seedy bars again, trying to find Ms. Right. Care to join us?"

"No, I'll have to pass on that delightful offer, thanks. Molly's been after me to take down the Christmas lights. Have a good 'un gentlemen.' Jonas walked off in the other direction listening to Charlie and Hector banter back and forth as they got into Charlie's car.

"Not Ms. Right, more like Ms. One Night."

"You are crazy, you know that? When are you going find a nice girl?"

"Oh, I find the nice girls, but when I'm through with them, they ain't so nice any more."

The car sped past Jonas with a quick beep as he reached his truck and raised a hand to his friends and colleagues as he got behind the wheel and went home to Molly, ever thankful his single days were behind him.


	2. Part 2

FEBRUARY

Serena and Kim Brown sat at the kitchen table cutting hearts out of red construction paper. Serena was intent on making her heart absolutely perfect for her daddy. Her small head tilted downward as she concentrated on her cutting. Kim took this opportunity to check on Teddy, napping peacefully in his crib.

Walking back to her daughter, she looked up suddenly and found herself peering into her husbands face as he startled her in the hallway. "Surprise!" Bob Brown smiled broadly at his wife and reached to embrace her.

"What are you doing home in the middle of the day? Everything okay?" Kim was delighted to see her husband but, as usual, worried at the change in routine.

"Everything's fine, short day today. We're starting a new training Monday so boss decided to give us a head start on the weekend." While he much preferred being out in the field over a computer training Bob was indeed thankful to be home for the next few weeks.

LATER THAT NIGHT

Charlie and Hector strolled into Brewster's, letting their eyes wander over the scene in front of them. Amidst the red heart cutouts dangling from the ceilings and the pink and silver confetti strewn on the bar, the place was packed for a Friday night. It didn't help that next weekend was Valentine's Day and all the single folk were out in force trying to find a last minute romance or at least just a date.

Charlie ordered a couple beers as they settled in at the bar and let his eyes wander over the crowd. He was uncharacteristically quiet, and as two pretty blondes walked by giving the men a once over look, he remained silent.

"What's wrong with you tonight?" Hector asked his friend, craning his neck to the left to check out the rest of the pretty blonde girls.

Charlie shrugged and looked around the busy bar, "nothing. Just tired of the same old same old I guess." His eyes rested briefly on a table in the corner as he noticed a solitary dark haired young woman diligently reading the beer stained bar menu. She looked completely out of place, yet totally at ease in her surroundings.

Hector followed Charlie's line of sight to see him eyeing a pretty brunette who was ordering several things off the menu. She stood out slight only because she was the only female in the bar not busy checking out the male population or the competition.

"Hey, guys, what's up? Where's the rest of your crew?" Danny Adams walked over to the bar and signaled for a beer. "Hey Danny, how's Echo team doing, you just get back?" Hector and Danny talked back and forth for a few minutes, and both men notice Charlie stealing glances to the corner every few minutes. Danny smacked Grey on the back and told him to go introduce himself and see if she had any friends for him and Hector. "Make sure they're cute too!" Danny called after him as Charlie walked away.

Charlie approached the table, wondering why he felt like he was 15 years old and asking a girl out for the first time. He shook his head slightly to clear his thoughts, and suddenly he was there, and the woman looked up questioningly at him.

"Hi." He waited for the rest of his sentence to come out, but it was stuck in his throat. He found himself staring at a pair of pretty brown eyes that sparkled. Fortunately as the owner of the eyes returned his greeting and smiled at him he was able to regain his composure.

"I was wondering if I could buy you a drink," he suddenly noticed she had a glass of soda in front of her on the table, "or maybe a bite to eat? I'm Charlie by the way." He gave her his best charming smile and waited for her response.

"Thanks so much, I really appreciate your offer, but…" oh, he is cute, she thought to herself, "I'm meeting a couple of friends for dinner tonight." And with that, she saw her companions walk in the doorway, so she stood up to wave them over. Charlie found he couldn't tear his eyes away from her; he decided to try his luck again. "Well, I've got a couple of pals here and we would love to buy you and your friends dinner tonight, if you'd let us."

She turned back slightly as her friends neared the table, and smiled widely at Charlie. "Well, I'm okay with that, but do your friends like blondes?" She gestured to the two tall, blonde men walking up behind her, who were apologizing left and right for being late. Charlie could not help but laugh out loud along with her, but he had a ready answer, "I don't know about Danny, but I'm sure Hector does, I'll send him over." He smiled and held her gaze for a few minutes before speaking. "Another time perhaps." He turned and walked away, before realizing he didn't even know her name.

She sat down but watched Charlie walk back to his friends, with a shy smile on her face. He was awfully cute and did try very hard, maybe she'd run into him again while she was in town. Right before she turned her attention back to her friends, he stopped and looked backwards just in time to catch her eye, he flashed a quick smile and slight nod and went on his way.

MONDAY

Jonas walked down the hallway, slowly drinking a cup of coffee and rifling his notes. Well, the morning session didn't go half bad, he thought to himself. The Colonel actually cracked a smile a few times and seemed to be on board with Presidential directive after a rough start. The Homeland Security analysts seemed to know what they were doing and Jonas knew his fellow unit members would definitely benefit in the long run from the new protocols being put in place.

"Agent Anderson, are you all ready for the next session?" Jonas asked the young lady walking into the training room with her hands full of training materials. "Yes, thank you Sgt. Blane, its your team coming in this afternoon right?" She flashed a wide smile as she continued, "I promise to go easy on them!"

On that note, Jonas' fellow team members started to file in and take their seats. Anderson and her 2 assistants started handing out manuals and user guides while the men made small talk. Mack and Bob were talking about the kids, and Hector started to fool around with the laptop in front of him.

Agent Lisa Anderson walked to the front of the room and was about to begin her introduction when a latecomer walked in hurriedly and took his seat. "Hello gentlemen, welcome to…"she drew her breath in sharply midsentence when the man looked up and met her eyes. She felt herself blush as she somehow continued speaking her memorized welcome speech. The man staring at her was the stranger from the bar, and she was right, he was definitely very cute. She managed to tear her eyes away from his smiling face and continued on with her training.

2 HOURS LATER

The men milled about and stretched their legs after being drilled on the proper protocols to follow while attempting to hack into secure websites. Lisa was by the soda machine, wrestling with a wrinkled dollar bill in an effort to get a Diet Coke, when Charlie walked up to her with a twinkle in his eye.

"Hi. Again." He could not believe his luck, the pretty brunette from the bar that he couldn't get out of his mind the whole weekend was standing directly in front of him.

"Let me help you out, that machine is temperamental." He took the bill from her hands and swiftly smoothed it out and expertly slid it inside the machine.

"Thanks so much," she replied as she hit the button for her soda. "Enjoying the class so far Sgt. Grey?" She tried to remain professional, but she found herself getting lost in his dreamy eyes. They walked back towards the classroom. "Call me Charlie. And yes, so far, its pretty interesting. You're a great teacher." He wasn't lying or just putting on the charm, she actually did make the tedious schedule go by quickly and charmed her rough and tumble students with her humor and personality.

The rest of the team started to file in after their short break, and take their seats. Charlie lingered at the door and decided to try his luck one last time. "Can I take you out for dinner tonight?" he asked sweetly. She was caught off guard and hesitated answering for the briefest moment. He took that opportunity to motion over his shoulder to the two blonde Homeland Security analysts who were chatting up a couple of female corporals in the hallway, and joked that they were doing fine on their own.

"Sure, that sounds nice. Thanks." She smiled and hoped she was doing the right thing.

They both turned and walked back into the classroom, not noticing how quiet the men had gotten.

Mack cracked on Charlie as he took his seat, "Dude, taking the teacher out, surefire way to get an A buddy boy!" Bob added, "Don't make her mad, I hate homework!"

Charlie laughed along with his friends as the second part of the day's course started.


	3. Part 3

MARCH

SOMEWHERE OVER THE MIDDLE EAST

They sat listening to the steady drum of the C130, the quiet lingering in the air. They were dirty, sweaty, mentally and physically exhausted, yet relieved to be on the way home. The first few hours of the ride were spent replaying the mission in their minds, accounting for every step taken and shot fired. After Jonas was assured that the job could not have gone better, and the Colonel would be satisfied, he settled in to sleep for the rest of the 12-hour flight home.

Hector and Charlie sat talking quietly while the rest of the men dozed. "So, Annette will be glad I'm back for the weekend." Hector smiled as he thought of how appreciative his girlfriend would be at the fact he was home in time to attend her cousin's wedding. "Hey, Annette wanted to know what happened to you and Claudia. You broke it off with her?" Charlie nodded, "yep. Just wasn't working out bro, no big deal." Hector knew Charlie was a ladies man, going through women like water, but lately he seemed to be having a dry spell.

"So, what's up with you and Lisa? She why you broke it off with Claudia?" Hector was treading carefully, he knew Charlie had gone out with Anderson a few times, but supposedly it was always as friends. And Charlie never had any female friends before, so this was a new thing.

Charlie shook his head, but didn't meet Hector's eyes. "No man, I've told you, we're just friends. That's it." Charlie knew the guys thought something was up between him and Lisa, but the truth of the matter was, there wasn't. They were actually just friends, not that Charlie didn't want more of a relationship with her, he did. But it wasn't meant to be. He thought back to their very first dinner, that first day she showed up on base, a little over a month ago. He closed his eyes and settled back against the cold metal frame, hoping Hector would get the hint and drop this conversation.

"_And that's it for today gentlemen, tomorrow we'll concentrate on firewalls and how to get around them." She started to pack up her binder and assorted paperwork, while the team members rose and walked past her on the way out. Each one smiling and offering a sincere thanks, have a good night – she knew they overheard their buddy asking her out for dinner and she chuckled to herself as the classroom emptied out, except for Charlie._

_She looked up and smiled, "Ready to go? I'm starving!" Charlie laughed as he put on his leather jacket, "now that's what I like to hear, let's go eat." And they walked out to his car, talking about the last case project they worked on in class. He found himself drawn to her, and he wasn't sure why. She was unlike any of the usual girls he brought home. Maybe that was what attracted him in the first place._

Hector leaned back and closed his eyes, trying to shut out the mechanical droning in his ears, as Charlie started to snore softly next to him.

ONE WEEK LATER

The doorbell rang, and Tiffy yelled out for Mack to get it, she was busy icing the remainder of the cupcakes. Lissy ran to the front door ahead of her father, "It's my birthday party, I'll get it!" She flung open the door and smiled hugely when she saw her Uncle Charlie holding a square box wrapped in sparkly pink paper. Charlie walked in, followed by Lisa and they both wished the young girl a happy birthday.

"Hey guys, thanks for coming." Mack led the way to the family room, where the party was in full swing already. Exchanging hellos with everyone, Lisa sat down while Charlie followed Mack to the kitchen to grab a beer.

"You pick her up on your way here bro?" Mack asked casually, reaching into the fridge for two cold brews. "Nah, I was over working on her car this morning – so we came together." Charlie nodded hello Tiffy and quickly darted out of the way as Lissy and several of her girlfriends ran past, giggling and shrieking. "Working on her car, what's wrong it?" Charlie nodded, "fan belt, must have popped off, not a big problem, I took care of it for her." The men turned to walk back out to the family room. "Oh, wait a sec, Charlie, I have to ask you something!" Tiffy called out over her shoulder as she placed another platter of iced cupcakes on the buffet table. "What's the name of that Mexican place you and Lisa ate at, the one with the spicy enchiladas she told me about? Some of the girls from the school and I want to check it out next week."

"Escondido's over on Warren Street, its good, the food's great." Charlie answered as he walked into the family room. He thought back to when he and Lisa went to Escondido's the first time – they'd been back at least twice since as they both adored Mexican food. Kim and Lisa were discussing something baby related as Teddy bounced up and down on the floor and she noticed Charlie wordlessly hand Lisa a bottle of beer and hang back a little against the couch, his eyes barely following the basketball game on the television.

_"I think we ordered too much food Charlie!" She watched the waiter continue to place dishes down on the table, each one filled with huge portions of delicious food. Enchiladas, nachos, friend plantains, rice & beans, everything smelled and looked fantastic. She sipped slowly at her second margarita and peeked a sly glance at her watch – surprisingly, over an hour had already passed! "Nah, we'll be fine, just follow my lead." Charlie joked as he spooned out heaping pile of rice & beans next to his enchilada._

_The restaurant was not crowded at all, so the waiter left them alone and they spent a few hours talking, eating, and talking some more. He couldn't take his eyes off of her face; she was so animated when she spoke. He was totally comfortable just sitting there with her, talking about anything and everything. This was the first time he didn't choke down his dinner quickly in an effort to take the girl of the week home to her apartment for the main event of the evening._

Charlie was startled back to reality by little Teddy's squeals of delight and he found himself smiling at the sound. He watched Bob play with his young son and was slightly envious of his happiness. He had a great wife, and beautiful children, what more could a guy want out of life? He looked up suddenly and saw Lisa staring at him, the corners of her mouth slightly turned up. He smiled back and felt his heart quicken slightly.

"Ok ladies and gentlemen, food's up!" Tiffy announced and everyone made their way over to the kitchen table for some party food. After everyone had eaten their fill, and Molly oversaw the packing up of a few plates for absent party guests, the birthday girl sat down to open her presents. As she sat on the floor, surrounded by her friends, Lissy started opening up her presents. Charlie whispered into Lisa's ear, "What did we get her again?" "A bead jewelry making kit, she'll love it, don't worry." She whispered back, relishing the nearness between them and secretly hoping Lissy took forever to open her presents.

LATER THAT NIGHT

Lisa had helped Tiffy clean up the kitchen once the party was over. The house was almost back to its normal semblance of disarray, the kids were asleep after a day filled with sugary treats. "So, when are you flying back to New York?" Tiffy asked as she finished the last of the serving dishes. "Well, I fly out on the 1st and I'm staying just 5 days and then coming back." Tiffy wiped down the counter and went to give Lisa a hug, "well, we are going to miss you. Don't forget about us down here!" As her husband and Charlie walked in from the garage, Tiffy lowered her voice, "You know Charlie's going to miss you the most." Lisa was taken aback and at a loss for words, fortunately it was time for them to leave so they said goodnight to the Gerhardts and walked out to the car.

Charlie opened the door for her and she slid into the car, thinking about what Tiffy had said to her on the way out. Charlie would miss her; they had become very close in the few months she'd been on base. She suddenly realized she would miss him as well, she was used to seeing him at least a few times a week in the TOC and they went out for dinner a couple times a month. He was a good friend, and she cherished the time they spent together. She suddenly turned to Charlie, her heart thumping so loudly she was sure he would hear. He stopped speaking mid-sentence, "what, what's wrong?" She shook her head slightly, "no, nothing, I'm just tired." He pulled into her driveway and put the car in park. She hesitated for a brief moment, and then opened her car door. "Thanks Charlie, I'll see you tomorrow." She walked to her front door, feeling his eyes on her back. She unlocked the door, turned around for a final wave goodbye and watched him back out carefully and head home.

Lisa threw her purse down on the couch and shook her head, god she wanted to kiss him so badly. Instead of a friendly wave goodnight, she wanted him to take her in his arms and kiss her madly. She wanted to taste his lips on hers, and feel his heart beat against her chest. She wanted more than just a cherished friendship, but at what cost? She thought back to the first time he walked her to her front door, her first week on base.

_They walked out laughing to the car, appetites satiated by the delicious food they shared and at ease with each other after a night of good conversation. She was so impressed with Charlie, he was being a perfect gentleman all night and even now, he gallantly opened her car door. They drove the short ride back to the base in comfortable silence, and each was lost in their own thoughts._

_He parked in the street and walked her to her front door. She couldn't understand why she was so terribly nervous. He was smiling at her with those dreamy brown eyes and she just wanted to kiss him…but she couldn't…not now. "I had a fantastic time tonight Lisa, thanks for finally letting me take you out to dinner!" he joked at her doorway. "She found herself mesmerized by his voice, "me too Charlie, thanks so much, I had a great time. You should have let me leave the tip though!" She swallowed hard, not knowing what to say next. "Well, I'll make you a deal, next time dinner's on you. I know a great Chinese place, what do you say?" He hoped he wasn't pressing his luck, but he desperately wanted to take her out again, and he think she felt the same way._

_She smiled at him tentatively. "That would be great, I love Chinese food." She paused, as if dreading what was to come next. "I have to tell you something Charlie." She looked into his eyes, seeing the curiosity suddenly appear. "I…" she took a deep breath, "I…I'm engaged." Dead silence on both their parts. She finally continued, "I think you're a great guys Charlie, really I do, but I wanted to be honest with you…" He interrupted her, acting nonchalant even though he felt like he had just been sucker punched, "no problem, I understand." But he didn't, he didn't understand why he suddenly felt sick to his stomach. "You're engaged." He repeated it out loud, trying hard to keep a smile on his face while he thought fast. "Well, you still have to eat right? Friends eat dinner together right?" His smile finally reached his eyes, he was grasping at straws, but if it worked so be it, and at least he would get to spend time with her. He gingerly reached for her hand, shook it warmly and said "well, then goodnight, my friend. See you tomorrow." He turned and walked slowly back to the car, keeping a smile on his face until he pulled away from the curb._

She wanted to kiss him back then, and the feelings only intensified with time. She did the right thing by being honest with him, she knew that he had no tolerance for liars or cheaters, something they both had in common. She tried for the last few months to put her feelings aside, to concentrate on her work and on fitting in on the base. She was careful to keep a respectable distance from him when they were together, but she craved talking to him and going out with him, even as just friends.

Tiffy was wrong, she thought to herself, she knew she'd miss Charlie the most.


	4. Part 4

APRIL

Colonel Ryan sat patiently in the chair, waiting for the receptionist to call his name. He tried not to check his watch again, but his flight was set to depart at 4pm, whether he was onboard or not. He casually flipped through one of the reports he held, familiarizing himself with the statistics and trying to gauge how well his request would go over once he got inside the office.

"Colonel Ryan?" The receptionist turned from a desk busy with ringing phones and fax machines, "the President will see you now, sir." Instantly a piece of the wall opened outward to reveal the entrance to the Oval Office, and a young Secret Service agent ushered him in. The President was on the phone finishing up a call, and motioned for the Colonel to take a seat on the luxurious blue couch in the center of the room.

"Sorry about that Tom, good to see you again," they shook hands warmly and he gestured for bodyguards to leave the room. The President sat down, and Ryan followed his lead.

"So…how's the Cyber Security team doing on base Tom?" asked the President as Ryan passed out a recent briefing report. "As you can see Sir, the team has been a great asset to my Unit." He continued to expound on how Agent Anderson and her team, despite his initial misgivings, had actually managed to be a supportive, crucial part of his organization. The Colonel knew she was only assigned on a temporary detail, but this was his chance to push for a permanent position. The question was, could he convince the President to agree?

A little more than an hour later, Colonel Ryan walked out with a tight smile on his face, after convincing the leader of the free world to extend the detail till the end of the calendar year. Of course, it wasn't that hard, given that the election was a mere seven months away and the President was counting on his Unit to keep the world as safe as it could be until he was reelected for another term.

As he stepped into the waiting elevator that would take him directly to a car for the short ride to the airport, a tall, distinguished looking man joined him. Neither man spoke or acknowledged each other until the elevator doors closed.

"Hello Tom, how are you?" the Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security quietly asked. "Doing well, sir." He paused, wondering if the other man had heard the news already. "I understand Lisa Anderson and her team will be finishing out the year working for you." The Colonel nodded sharply, as the Secretary continued, "she'll be quite happy to hear the news, I know she's enjoying the work immensely plus she's gotten quite close to some of your staff. She mentions a Sgt. Grey quite often." He smiled as Ryan's demeanor relaxed considerably and they laughed out loud together.

The elevator doors opened and both men walked out into the bright sunshine towards a waiting car. "She is fitting in very nicely Paul, and she's a considerable asset to the Unit as well." He conveniently ignored the remark about Charles Grey; Ryan wasn't about to comment on the dating habits of his staff, especially when they involved the goddaughter of the man standing next to him. The head of the Homeland Security continued, "Oh, she has wonderful things to say about you too Tom. Yes, I think the President made a wise decision to lengthen the trial period." He turned to leave, as his bodyguards walked up, "good to speak with you Tom, give my regards to Charlotte." The men shook hands and Ryan stepped into the car as he checked his watch.

TWO WEEKS LATER

Dog Patch, this is Alpha Charlie 2, come in. Dog Patch, I repeat this is Alpha Charlie 3. Over?"

"Roger, Alpha Charlie 2, this is Dog Patch. You're coming in broken and stupid."  
In a fit of relief Mack snaps his head backwards and his head makes contact with the rocky slope in their hide. Following this move he lets loose a string of obscenities that would make a trucker blush.

"Well, they got the stupid part right, didn't they?" Quips Grey as he removes his antiquated M1911 from its holster and checks the moving parts. Ask Mack continues to talk with the TOC Grey begins to check each of the 10 magazines he brought along of 5.56 ammo. Grey tests the spring knowing he loaded only 29 rounds in each magazine to ensure there would be no stoppage or jams.

"Dog Patch, Alpha Charlie 2 reports contact with the enemy. Platoon sized element with mainly small arms. Bravo Charlie is out of contact. Their commo gear quit. All they have is Line of Sight and I can't see them. Over."

To his dismay the transmission is garbled and the reply is unintelligible. Disgustedly, Mack looks towards Jonas and says, "I guess Ole' Crockett was right, Top. When you need it the damn thing sure wouldn't work anyway."

Jonas tilts his head to the side and without looking at Mack replies, "So you DO listen to my stories!"

"Only through Osmosis, Top. Only through Osmosis."

"Well then, maybe I should have married you and not Molly…but your beard tickles."

"You haven't seen these legs in a dress yet. You'll forget that."

Around their small spot on this slope there are bodies lying across the ground. From behind a pair of binoculars Jonas warns, "Here they come, Round 2."  
Grey slides close to Jonas, tugs lightly at his collar and whispers with labored breath into his ear, "I see dead people…"

Failing to suppress a laugh Jonas replies, "I'm not dead. I feel happy. I want to go for a walk." Jonas shakes his head and smirks wishing he didn't quote that silly movie.

The enemy knew they were there so silence didn't matter. Mack moves forward slightly and with his best French accent yells, "Come back and I will taunt you a second time!" After several seconds pass by he continues, "Silly kinnigets!"

Jerking the charging handle on his M4 Grey mutters, "I really wish Bobbo wouldn't play that movie all the time. I saw a swallow on base last week and wondered if it was African or European."

Heels clicking on the floors and subdued voices on headsets was the only the only sound to pierce the tense feeling at the Tactical Operations Center. Impatiently drumming his fingers against the desk Colonel Ryan bursts out with, "Kayla, I need comms and I need them yesterday! We have 3 teams neck deep and I need a sitrep!"

Kayla's eyes grow wider, and her hands trembled as she searched frequencies on the net. Bob walks up next to her, leans down, and whispers into her hear, "Relax, Kayla. I know you're doing what you can and Ryan does, too." Bob straightens up and walks toward the Colonel. He exchanges a quick glance with Anderson as she gives him a barely perceptible nod and continues to monitor her tracking log. "Sir, permission to speak freely?"

"Until I say otherwise, Brown…go." Ryan levels his glare into Brown's eyes.

"Might I suggest you get something to eat, sir? I can handle the TOC. You've been at this a while now, sir."

"I'll rest when this is over with, Sergeant."

"With all due respect sir, you need a rest. You're getting rest is what is going to help get them home. Right now you can't help it, sir. Save it for when you can. Top's been around a while as you know and he's a big boy. Or so he tells me. You take some down time. I'll take it over here. If I need you I'll get you."

"Brown, you're walking a thin line right now, best you know that. I have been around longer than…" before Ryan could finish his sentence Brown cuts him off.

"Sir, if I have to tuck you in myself I will and I don't think either of us want that. With respect sir, go rest sir, please." Brown trembles inside knowing he could be in it deeper than the boys for what he's doing.

With a sigh of realization and exhaustion Ryan slowly removes the headset. The hardest part of being a leader is admitting when a subordinate is right. He knew he was tired. It had been 3 days since he slept last. Ryan thought to himself, Brown's right and he knows it.

As Ryan exits the TOC the internal sounds steadily grow louder and appreciative looks are soon turned towards Bob Brown. Anderson passes by him, smiling, "Good call Boss." Folding his arms across his chest and glancing around Brown exhales slowly and physically sags from the tense few moments.

"Alright people, let's see if we can't find a drone to give us some pictures. If Google can get satellite images and we can't we might as well move to Canada. And you all know what that means. You know what I'm talking aboot?" Brown stressed the oo sound in the last word for emphasis. He was happy to hear giggles around him. A happy team is a productive team. Anderson walks around overseeing the intel analysts and assisting them when needed.

Noticing Kayla was still a bit tense Bob tried harder. "Kayla, do you know a J. Phillip Swayne from All City Trust? Left me a message a few weeks back talking about a Lt. Meyers. Top said to ask you. Kayla began to stifle laughter…

"CONTACT LEFT! CONTACT LEFT!" the words had barely left Jonas' mouth when he and Mack shifted fire. 7.62 round chipped the rocks around their bodies as they fired single shots into the approaching mass of men. The militia approached with a skirmish line that resembled a bad game of Red Rover, Kalashnikovs at the hip on full auto. The safest place to be was right in front of these guys. They were not pros. On full auto the AK 47's muzzle climb was their ally. The first shots were close, but after that they were shooting birds. After several minutes the attacked died out.

"Top, they're playing with us. I'd say we took 20 that first charge and another 20 this time, but they keep coming in groups of 40 – 50. How many don't we see?" Grey topped off his magazine as he spoke to Jonas.

"Good in theory, but don't matter a damn since we're just going to whittle them down. Mack, any luck with Bravo?" Jonas reached into a vest pocket to produce 2 HE grenades which he laid next to the spare magazines on the ground before him."

"Nothing, Top. Delta is out, too. We're going to have to be old fashioned about this." Mack rolled his eyes at the thought. "Good news though, the TOC is coming in clear. Bob's there, said Lisa's in, too."

Grey nodded and spoke up, "I'm your Huckleberry. Put a base of fire down and I'll go take a stroll." Grey realized it would look like he was showing off for Lisa, but it was something that had to be done. He'll put up with Mack's taunts later.

"Roger that, Carlito. They say the CIA's got a drone coming in ricky tick, but the Christians In Action are not known for being that helpful. You gotta haul alpha because I don't know when it's coming in."

"Carlito, see the depression on the right?" Jonas pointed off to a low spot where the attackers had fallen back. "I'm going to toss over some party favors and lighten the mood. You bear left. There's another low spot parallel to it and Bravo should be at the top. Can't see 'em, but that's where I last heard fire."

Grey nodded and squared away his gear. No loose straps or laces. "When you're ready, Top." Grey took a deep breath and watched Jonas tossed the first grenade. Once the second one was in his hand he began to run for the second ditch. What Grey had failed to notice was that Jonas had neglected to pull the pin on the second grenade.

Realizing his rookie mistake Jonas screams at Grey to come back, but Grey is too far-gone. Also noticing the problem, Mack stands up and both he and Jonas began to move forward, weapons at the ready, to support Grey.

As Grey descends the slope and leaves his sight Jonas sees the second grenade float through the air into the neighboring depression, exactly where Grey was last seen closely followed by rifle fire. Running as fast as they can, Mack and Jonas are at the lip of the depression when the high explosive grenade detonates sending dust and debris high into the air all around them.

"Dog Patch, Dog Patch, Alpha Charlie 3 is presumed down." Transmission errors break up the report. Static and pieces of words reach the TOC. Rifle fire and explosions are heard through the receiver, but no more words.

In the TOC Lisa grabs a head set and quickly blurts out, "Alpha Charlie 2, confirmation of message required. Respond." Nothing but silence is heard in the TOC now. Again, Lisa repeats her request, her heart is beating wildly and she's hoping she misheard the transmission. Images of Charlie are wildly flailing through her head as she struggles to remain professional.

Bob glances at her briefly then opens a new communications link with the CIA to check the status of the drone. He was assured it was on target and ready. He was then instructed how to get the link. The main monitor in the TOC suddenly changed from 3 Dimensional terrain features to a live digital stream from the drone. But there was too much movement to get a clear picture. Anderson starts to pace the floor, a worried look etched on her face.

While Mack continued to try to raise the TOC Jonas ran into the depression towards where the explosion occurred. Without wind the smoke hung heavily. Cursing himself for such a stupid mistake Jonas stumbles and falls. Rolling over he sees a vague form on the ground. It was Grey.

Grey began to rise slowly noticing Jonas just feet away. "So you give them a grenade and then you kick me?" You're off the Christmas Card list, Top!"

"Fox Alpha!" Jonas grabs Grey's arm and pulls him back. "You just took a few years off my life."

"Remember what they didn't teach you about grenades, Top? They explode up and out. Of course, they always work better when the good guys PULL THE PIN FIRST!"

Jonas chuckles and says, "Sorry. Owe you a beer."

Charles jerks back, "A beer? You owe me beer until I can hear again or at least until I admit I can hear again."

On the screen in the TOC the picture becomes more clear and detailed. Bob and Lisa can see all 3 members of Alpha team in the area of their last check in and all 3 were moving. Lisa exhales sharply, not realizing she was holding her breath for the last several minutes. She feels her body start to slowly tremble with relief at seeing Charlie on the screen and she inadvertently takes a few steps towards it, as if touching him would keep him safe till they returned home. Bob suddenly appears to her left, and speaks quietly to her, "you need a break, go, now. We've got this covered." She starts to shake her head as she thinks of something to say, "No, I can handle this…" She coughs and meets his eyes, "I'm fine. Let's get back to work."


	5. Part 5

MAY

"Hector?" Charlie called to Williams who was adjusting his thigh holster in the Team Room. "I got some time to kill. Want some company?"

"If you carry the ammo boxes." Williams replied while pointing to several cases on a table nearby. "Oh, and the targets."

"Want me to shoot your rounds for you, too?" Grey fired back as he began to gather the boxes. "I think I'll call this one PeeWee." Grey stated matter of factly as he glanced toward the targets.

"PeeWee?" Williams drew back and made a face as if there was some foul odor in the air. "That's a stupid name for a target. Why don't you call it Mr. Rogers or Cookie Monster?

Undeterred, Grey replied, "Well, what would you call it?"

With a slight shoulder shrug Williams replied, "Reynaldo." Sensing the question before it could leave his lips Williams quickly interjected, "Because Reynaldo sounds cooler than PeeWee. That's just stupid."

Shaking his head, Williams walks out the door followed by his pack mule, Charlie.

Later on, at the range Williams sets the targets are 10 yards. He and Charlie begin to load magazines. Charlie turned slightly to the side while he loaded a magazine with only 4 rounds. He placed the magazine in one of the many pouches on the table. While Hector turned away Charlie pushed the pouch closer to him.

Hector, looking back, attaches the magazine pouch to his belt. He and Charlie each wore a tactical thigh holster for the quick draw, cowboy feeling that was ever so cool. Each man carried 8 magazines for their pistols. 

Charlie looked at the targets, smirked, then wiped the smile from his face as he turned face Hector. "What say we shoot for beers later? First with six shots, two in the head, throat, and chest wins."

Hector shrugged and replied, "Well, if you don't like your money I have no problem taking it. I want a warm up, though." In one fluid motion Hector turned towards his target while drawing his pistol and cranked off seven shots. Hector hit the magazine release dropping the empty magazine to the ground and then, just as Charlie desired, he drew the magazine that wasn't fully loaded without looking at it. Hector then loaded his weapon.

"On 3, Carlito. I'll call it." Hector then began the count down. He and Charlie drew their weapons and began to fire. After hitting two areas Hector was surprised to see the slide stop. Dropping out the magazine he saw it was empty.

With a look of satisfaction Charlie racked the slide, expelled his remaining rounds and said, "I feel thirsty already." His comment was met with a stern look which was almost accusing.

After several hundred rounds Charlie spoke up, "What say we move it back? 10 yards more sound good?"

Nodding, Hector moved the targets. For the next 3 hours the men pounded their targets into dust and didn't quit until their hand cramps were too much. Both men removed their targets and headed back to the table to strip and clean their weapons.

"Hey, I need a huge favor Charlie."

"Yeah, what?"

"You know how I'm taking Annette away for the weekend?"

Charlie looked up with a sly grin on his face, "you want me to take her instead?"

"I don't think so. But thanks for offering."

Charlie chuckled to himself as he reached for his kit.

"Well, her cousin is in town and Annette doesn't want to leave her alone all weekend."

"And what exactly does this have to do with me?" Charlie hoped Hector wasn't about to set him up. The last couple of months Charlie was just going through the motions to keep up with his 'playa' reputation. Truth be told, he was getting sick and tired of one-night stands and drunken conquests.

"I need you take her out one night for dinner – just one night, treat her nice, have some fun and I can take my girl away, come on man, you owe me." Hector pleaded as Charlie kept shaking his head from side to side.

"I don't know. What's in it for me?"

Hector joked with his pal, "I'll make sure to save your ass next time some bad dude points an AK 47 at your head." Both men started to reassemble their guns. Hector racked the slide then shook the pistol. There was a loose rattle to it.  
Momentarily shifting directions with the conversation Hector complained, "This thing never rattles until I fire it. Every damn time, man."  
Charlie raised an eyebrow and then suggested, "Why don't you get Cheals to look at it? He's still the best there is."  
Hector nodded in consent.  
Impatiently Hector asked again, "Well man?"  
"Alright, deal. When?"

"Friday or Saturday night, -"Hector was interrupted mid sentence.

"Friday nights aren't good – you know that. Has to be Saturday then."

Hector weighed his next words carefully, "you still going out with Lisa on Friday nights?" He knew the answer already, but wanted to see how Charlie handled the question.

"Yep." Charlie looked up. "You got a problem with that bro?"

"No." Hector decided not to press his luck, and let the matter drop.

They walked out of the range, Charlie slightly in the lead and stowed their weaponry in the locker room.

TWO WEEKS LATER

The doorbell rang as Bob stepped out of the shower, he was running a few minutes late and he rushed to get dressed quickly. Kim was insisting they finally have a date night after the last 3 failed attempts to celebrate their anniversary. He closed the bedroom door as Kim rushed down the hallway to answer the front door.

Kim opened the door to see Lisa on her doorstep, "Hello! Come on in! Thanks so much for babysitting tonight Lisa." Kim lead the way into the family room where Serena was watching television in her pajamas. "Bob's running a few minutes late, can I make you a cup of tea?" Lisa sat down on the couch as Serena ran over to say hello and show off her latest school project. "Yes, thanks Kim." Lisa ooh'd and aah'd over the latest stick figure drawing. 'Aunt Lisa, is Uncle Charlie coming over too?" Serena asked innocently.

Taken aback for a brief minute, Lisa answered the little girl, "no honey, he's out with a friend tonight. I'm sure you'll see him soon though, ok?" She wondered when she'd see him herself, now that he was dating Rhonda. She tried to keep the jealousy at bay, from what she knew they had only gone out twice so far. Well, tonight would make three times I suppose, she thought to herself.

Kim walked out with a cup of tea and sat down next to Lisa on the couch. "I'll be ready in 10 minutes, I swear!" Bob shouted out from the back bedroom. The women laughed out loud at the role reversal. Kim pointed to the pad of paper on the end table, next to Lisa. "Ok, I wrote down the number of the restaurant if you need to get in touch with us, but you also have our cell numbers right? Teddy is sleeping and he should be fine all night. After this show, Serena knows to go right to bed. You should have a quiet evening."

"Sounds great Kim, I hope you guys have a romantic dinner for your anniversary."

Kim waited a minute and then leaned in a bit towards the younger woman, "So?" she asked raising her eyebrows at Lisa.

Lisa shook her head and smiled at her friend, "I'm fine, really. It's not a big deal."

"Not a big deal! Not a big deal! How can you say that?" Kim tried her best to keep her voice down so as not to disturb Serena. She continued, 'You guys have been almost dating for 4 months and now he's taking some other girl out for dinner."

Lisa swallowed hard, and tried to keep her voice level. "Almost dating? Don't be ridiculous. We're friends, nothing more." The women sat in silence for a few seconds, and then Lisa continued, "I'm happy for him, he says she's very nice and that I would like her." She shrugged her shoulders, hoping that day would never come.

"Well, I think he's the one being ridiculous! You broke off your engagement for crying out loud…" Lisa interrupted her suddenly, "he doesn't know about that." Kim sat stunned, for once at a loss for words. "You never told Charlie…" Lisa shook her head slowly. "I didn't break it of for him Kim, I broke it off…because it wasn't…right. I just…" She suddenly realized something. "I just didn't know that…until I met Charlie."

Bob walked out into the family room, nicely dressed and with a huge grin on his face. "How do I look ladies?" He turned around like a ballerina and waited for someone to comment. The women sat on the couch, completely ignoring Bob, leaving him to wonder what he had stumbled in upon.

Kim got up with a determined look on her face, "ok, I have an idea; we'll figure something out tomorrow. Don't worry. I can fix this." Lisa attempted to tell Kim there was nothing to fix, but once she got an idea in her head there was no stopping her. Kim turned to her confused husband, "ready? Let's go. Why did you put on that shirt, I laid out the yellow one Bob." She shook her head. "Never mind, come on." Before Bob could utter a word in his defense his wife took his arm and practically dragged him out of the house.

Lisa took a deep breath and settled in to watch the last few minutes of tv with Serena. She tried not to think about Charlie being out with Rhonda. She kept telling herself she wasn't jealous. But she knew better.


	6. Part 6

Mack carried out two bags of ice and continued to fill up one of the coolers while Tiffy answered the door. He hoped they had enough to drink, but he planned on sending someone out for a last minute beer and soda run just in case. Tiffy invited some of the teachers from her school and the backyard was already filled with people hanging out and enjoying the summer day. Molly and Jonas walked around the side of the house, waving hellos and carrying dishes of food. "Hey Mack, Tiffy inside?" Molly asked, balancing the 2 bowls of freshly made potato salad in her arms and heading towards the kitchen. Mack tossed his team leader a cold brew and nodded at Molly, 'yeah, she's just finishing up some things. Oh, remind her I'm starting the grill right now, thanks Molly."

Jonas took a long sip from his bottle and turned to face Mack. "You and Hector finished up that Cardenos job to the boss's satisfaction?" Mack nodded, thinking back to the short mission that took the two of them out of town for a few weeks, "Yep, good to be home. Just got back last night Top." Jonas noticed Hector and Charlie across the yard, both men relaxing and keeping a watchful eye on Lissy and Serena as they ran around the backyard. Bob walked out of the house holding a platter of hot dogs and hamburgers and headed towards the grill, "I'm the cook today, you burned my burgers last time and I'm hungry. So just step back and let me take care of this, ok?" Mack trailed behind Bob arguing over who was the better chef and insisting he was going to cook the food for party. Jonas laughed and walked over to join Kim who was wrestling with putting a clean shirt on Teddy on a lounge chair on the patio.

Charlie and Hector sat in the backyard, watching the girls play and trying to one up another with bad PPD stories, until Hector's cell phone rang. Charlie saw Lisa walk into the backyard and went to meet her with a smile on his face. "Hey, I was wondering what was keeping you Lis." She waved to Kim, who was beckoning her over with a serious look on her face and turned to Charlie. "I know, but I had to stop in at the office real quick." She saw the apprehension in his eyes, and hastily reassured him; "I had to evaluate some intel for Golf Team. No dramas, though." She smiled; delighted that he had worried about her. She thought back to last night, she had met Charlie downtown for dinner before they caught a movie and he hadn't mentioned that woman Rhonda even once. She hadn't dared ask if he was still seeing her, but she was hopeful that they had broken things off by now.

Charlie loved how she acted so non-chalantly. The colonel wouldn't have called her into the TOC on a Saturday afternoon if he didn't need her expertise and she knew it. One of the many things he admired about Lisa, and there were many he thought to himself sheepishly, was her intelligence. He and the boys had done a little background investigation when she was assigned to the base, and they were surprised to find out that the FBI had recruited her directly out of high school, after she was 'detained' for hacking into the Internal Revenue Service's database. She had told Charlie about it a few months after they met, and he wasn't surprised to find out that the FBI didn't press charges once she accepted a position at Quantico. Since then, her career and reputation had shot up as she worked with all the various agencies in the intelligence community.

Kim walked quickly over to the pair, and politely interrupted their conversation, "Charlie! I just need to borrow Lisa for a few minutes, okay?" She dragged Lisa after her before Charlie even had a chance to respond, and quickly outlined her plan. "Okay, I called you last night several times, but you weren't home. I have to tell you who I ran into the other day. Pete Reilly. From the motor pool, he's over there, look, tall, good looking blonde with blue eyes." She turned Lisa slightly to the left and tried not to point so obviously at the ruggedly handsome, athletic young man talking with some friends. "He asked about you! I took the opportunity to invite him here today, you have got to go talk to him – he's such a sweet guy – what?" Kim paused, lost in thought momentarily, as Lisa cracked up with laughter. "What? Why are you laughing?" Lisa then explained to a perplexed Kim that her very own husband, Bob, had warned Lisa just last week that she was about to be set up on a few blind dates by his well meaning yet meddling wife.

Charlie had wandered back to Hector, who stood in the yard with a discerning frown on his face. "What's up?" Charlie nodded to his friend, sensing something was bothering him. Hector looked at his friend and shook his head slightly, "Dude, this is not my fault. Ok?" Charlie drank his beer and wondered what he was talking about. "Annette's here, she just called from the main gate. She'll be here in a few." Charlie knew Annette was meeting Hector here so he just shrugged and said, "so?" Hector hesitated briefly, "Rhonda's with her."

Charlie quickly looked towards the house to see Lisa and Kim laughing together over something funny, and then back to Hector with a sour look on his face. "What the hell is she doing coming here? I didn't invite her." "I don't know, Annette said she stopped by to pick up some boxes and she mentioned the BBQ. Rhonda wormed her way in to an invite I suppose. I thought you two had hit it off, what happened?"

Charlie was trying to think of a way out of this, but just that moment, Annette walked around the side of the house, closely trailed by Rhonda, a striking redhead with a great figure barely covered by tight clothing. "We went out a couple times, she's okay I guess." Charlie shook his head as he eyed Lisa and said softly, "Just not my type." Hector's eyes narrowed significantly, Rhonda was definitely Charlie's type, well, at least she had been before Lisa Anderson came to Ft. Griffith. "I'm sorry man." Hector wanted to add more to that statement but he knew it was a sore spot with Charlie. The whole team knew Charlie had the hots for Lisa and it seemed she felt the same way, but the rumor had it she was engaged to some hot shot lawyer back home.

Annette walked up to Hector and kissed him hello, while quietly whispering in his ear, "honey, I'm so sorry. She wouldn't take no for an answer when she heard that Charlie was going to be here too. What could I do?"

Lisa and Kim turned suddenly as a high pitched voice erupted in a loud squeal, "Charlie!! I'm so glad to see you again!!" Rhonda wrapped her arms around him and attempted to kiss him repeatedly until Charlie was able to extract himself from her grip.

Lisa felt her heart skip a beat as a tall, skinny redhead in a barely there miniskirt, midriff baring shirt and stiletto heels hugged and kissed Charlie not more than 15 feet from her. She tried not to stare, but couldn't seem to tear her eyes away. So, she thought to herself that has got to be Rhonda. "Oh my god, she's um, really something isn't she?" Kim asked, and then wanted to crawl into a rock when she saw Lisa cringe at the thought of the two of them together. "Come on honey, you don't need to see this." And the two women walked to the other side of the yard to sit down.

Charlie saw Lisa staring at him for just a brief minute before Rhonda dragged him over to the double swing to sit down. When he looked up again, it took him a few minutes to find her in the crowded yard. He noticed her sitting with Tiffy, slowly drinking a beer, and glancing over to where he was occasionally. He wondered what she was thinking, and also how the hell he was going to get rid of Rhonda. He would much rather hang out with Lisa, even if just as friends, then be with Rhonda even though she was a sure thing.

Twenty minutes later, he was still trying to extricate himself from the conversation that had arisen when a few guys from Echo Team came over with their wives. Rhonda was hanging all over him and he was getting incredibly annoyed. Giving Hector a deathly glare, he finally managed to sneak away on the pretext of bringing back another round of beers. He quickly went in search of Lisa, but was sidetracked by Bob carrying a plate of food. "Hey, want a burger? They are cooked perfectly." He took a big bite of the burger in his hand and offered the plate to Charlie. He spied Lisa talking with a tall blonde man by the grill in the corner. She was laughing and smiling, they both seemed to be having a good time together, he thought morosely to himself.

Charlie bit into a burger and sat with Bob for a few minutes. "So, who's that guy?" he gestured to the unidentified man while he tried to contain his sudden anger as he saw the man put his hand on the small of her back as they walked over to get plates of food. Bob chewed thoughtfully, noticing how Charlie's eyes had hardened the minute that Pete touched Lisa. "Oh, that's Reilly, over in motor pool." He measured his words carefully, "Kim's setting him up with Lisa." Charlie swallowed hard, and turned to look at his friend. "Why? She's engaged – Kim knows that." He stood up suddenly, pacing back and forth, feeling unnerved at Bob's comment. Bob kept his eyes on Charlie, quickly realizing that Charlie didn't know. "She broke it off…didn't she tell you man? A couple months back. How could you not know?" Charlie turned to look at Bob, his face set in stone, and quickly walked away to throw his half eaten burger in the trash. He picked up a few bottles of beer and glanced one more time in Lisa's direction to see her sitting next to Reilly, and balancing her plate on her lap. He turned away moments before she looked up, and as he walked back to Rhonda he didn't know that her eyes followed him across the lawn, as she bit her lip nervously.

Almost an hour later, Lisa had eaten her fill of hot dogs, hamburgers, and various delicious side dishes. She was trying to relax with Tiffy and several of the wives, listening to their easy going conversations about kids, household chores and husbands. She was trying not to stare at Charlie and Rhonda, but she couldn't help herself. She had finally deterred Pete Reilly from following her around by enlisting the help of several single operators who promised to keep him out of her hair in exchange for a future favor. Kim wasn't happy about that, but oh well. Lisa had no desire to date him just to make Kim happy, she kept her promise and sat with him for one hour, and now her time was her own. And she was spending it observing Charlie make an ass of himself with Rhonda.

She watched as he chugged beer after beer, he was drinking a bit fast and heavy today, she thought to herself. Not like him at all actually. He was constantly touching that woman, her hair, her arms and shoulders, grabbing at her hand. Hector even seemed surprised at something, she noticed. On the other hand, Rhonda was obviously not minding his eagerness and she gave it back just as good. Caressing his back, letting her fingers linger on his thigh when she leaned in close to talk to him. Lisa found herself getting more and more irate watching this show, she was taken aback at his actions but she had to admit to herself that she must have been wrong about his feelings after all. Her thoughts were running wild, she knew she was getting too worked up and felt herself on the verge of tears. She stood up quickly and was about to make some random excuse, when suddenly she saw Rhonda jump onto Charlie's lap, throw her arms around him and kiss him seductively. Lisa's ears began to ring in her head and suddenly the bottle she was holding exploded in her hand, shards of glass flying in every direction.

"Oh, my goodness. Honey, what happened?" Tiffy jumped up and ran to Lisa's side as the remains of the bottle slipped from her hand. "I don't know, it just…I…" she was interrupted as Tiffy called out for Mack to come help her. "I'm fine, its nothing." Lisa tried to wipe her shaking hands but tiny silvers of glass were stuck in her palm, causing her to grimace in pain. "What happened?" Mack came jostling over, took one look at Lisa's bleeding hand and gently led her into the kitchen. Tiffy remained behind to clean up the debris.

Mack turned on the cold water and grabbing a dishtowel, he applied pressure to her hand under the running stream. Lisa felt her fingers growing numb and watched fascinated as the tiny droplets of blood fell off her hand and swirled around the sink before finally sliding down the drain. Mack's voice startled her from her thoughts, "The bottle must have been cracked, I'm going to say something to the clerk next time I stop in there, you can count on that." He removed the towel and noticed a few small shards of glass still in her hand. "Ok, hang on, I need the tweezers. Keep your hand under the water." Lisa stood there, not really listening to his last sentence, watching Charlie and Rhonda through the kitchen window.

He looked like he was enjoying himself, she thought. Rhonda definitely was, she was playfully dancing around him, touching him constantly and pressing herself up against him. Lisa felt her face getting flushed, and she fought to keep the tears at bay as Mack came back to help her. "This may hurt just a bit honey, ok?" He noticed the tears filling her eyes and followed her line of vision, shaking his head at what he was seeing, putting two and two together. Mack started to remove the tiny pieces of broken glass, slowly and carefully when suddenly Charlie burst in through the back door, slightly out of breath.

"Kim said you got hurt, are you alright?" He asked Lisa before he even reached the counter. Mack felt her stiffen and she turned her head slightly away from Charlie without answering. "She's fine!" Mack announced lightly, "just got a few cuts on her palm, I'm tending to it right now bro. We're good." Charlie leaned over and reached for Lisa's arm, "what happened? Are you sure you're okay Lis?"

It broke her heart to hear the concern in his voice yet she felt like smacking him right across the face at the same time. She tried to clear her throat, and in a hoarse unfamiliar voice she told him she was fine. At once, in the backyard, she heard the shrill tones of Rhonda's voice call out for Charlie. Without thinking about what she was doing, she snapped her head to the right, looked directly into his eyes and told him, "Your girlfriend's looking for you."

Mack heard Charlie draw in a sharp breath at that comment, and he busied himself with applying a few bandages to Lisa's injured hand. Charlie stared at her without speaking, seeing her beautiful brown eyes overflow with tears. He wanted to reach out, dry her face and take her in his arms but instead he attempted to defend himself, "She's not my girlfriend." Rhonda's cries became louder as she neared the house and made Lisa furiously snap back at Charlie, "Well, she's certainly acting like it today." She blinked repeatedly in an effort to stem the onslaught of tears she knew were about to start. Holding back the urge to continue arguing with her, and feeling that he himself was about to lose control, he turned and walked out of the kitchen without saying another word.

Mack quietly finished his work and smiled at Lisa, "alright, you are good to go back to the BBQ. Just take it easy for a day or two, and you should be fine." He looked at her with fatherly concern, even though he wasn't much older. Why was it so difficult for two people to acknowledge they were in love, he didn't remember things being this hard for him and Tiffy. She smiled sweetly at him, yet shook her head. "I think I've had enough for the day, thanks so much for fixing me up Mack. Please tell Tiffy I'll call her during the week." And with that, she turned and walked out of the Gerhardt residence, barely making it to the front door before the tears came in waves.


	7. part 7

5 DAYS LATER

Hector parked the car and looked directly at Charlie, who hadn't said a word in the last 10 minutes. "You look like shit man." He wasn't exaggerating either, Charlie hadn't shaved in days, and his eyes were bloodshot from too much drinking the last few days. It started at the Gerhardt's barbecue on Sunday, Hector reflected as they got out of the car and walked to the main building. Charlie had drunk a little more than usual, but everyone was having a good time, glad to be home for a few free days.

But then, Lisa somehow cut her hand open, and Charlie had it out with Rhonda, trying hard not to create a scene in front of all their friends. Hector felt partially responsible for what had happened, his girlfriend had unwittingly brought Rhonda along, and while at first Charlie was quite receptive of her attentiveness, he suddenly wanted nothing to do with her after Lisa left the party. Rhonda hadn't taken that well, and caused a minor disturbance as she cursed him out in Spanish before Hector and Annette led her out to the car for the ride home.

Hector stopped walking as they reached the sidewalk and stared at his sullen friend. "Have you spoken to her since the bbq?" he hesitantly asked.

After a moment's pause, Charlie shook his head, but remained silent.

"You need to see her. Talk to her, find out why she didn't tell you." Hector knew that Charlie was upset, even if he wouldn't admit to it. He knew he would be just as upset if he was in love with Lisa, like Charlie so obviously was.

"Nah, its all cool man. Not a big deal." He shrugged, attempting to walk away.

Hector grabbed his arm and decided to just lay it all on the line, what was the worst Charlie would do? Punch him out? "No, it's not all cool." He made eye contact and continued quietly, yet forcefully, "You love her. I know it, you know it, the whole damn base knows it, but for some screwed up reason, you won't tell her." Hector figured he might as well go on, to make the beating really worthwhile. "And I'm pretty sure she's in love with you. So why they hell haven't you told her?" He waited for the first punch as Charlie stiffened and eyed him warily.

Charlie glared at his friend. "You think you got it all figured out, huh. It's not that easy you know." He looked away, hearing her last words in his head over and over. She was furious at him that much was obvious. The whole day was a disaster in his mind. Reilly chatting Lisa up, that skank Rhonda showing up and practically attacking him in front of everyone. Then Lisa getting hurt, he had rushed in the minute he overheard Kim telling her husband, the only thing on his mind was to check if she was okay. He did love Lisa; he wanted to tell her, but why hadn't he?

Hector interrupted his thoughts, "Actually it is that easy. Tell her you love her. Marry her. Have some beautiful looking babies. Make me the godfather." He cracked a smile as he saw Charlie smile a little. "See, easy as can be." He clapped him on the back and walked to the front door.

Charlie decided just then to call her, telling himself he wouldn't hang up at the last minute. He had dialed her phone so many times over the past 5 days, only to realize he was scared to finally admit to himself, much less to Lisa, that he was truly in love. He held his breath as he punched the send button for the first time.

Lisa heard the phone ringing, and as she went to grab a clean shirt out of her closet she checked the caller id. It was Charlie. Seeing the familiar numbers on the tiny screen caused her to burst into a fresh round of tears. She was rushing to get dressed for work, and like every day this week, she was delayed by her emotions. But today was different, today he called and she knew the tears were from relief.

But as relieved as Lisa was, she let the machine pick up while she busied herself with the rest of her morning routine. She couldn't face talking to him right now, she knew she would break down uncontrollably and she didn't want that to happen. She would see him in the TOC today, maybe by then she could pull herself together long enough to speak with him without bursting into tears.

"Hey, it's me." Lisa heard his voice, low and quiet, speaking into the silence of the machine. "I…I need to talk to you Lis. I need to tell you something." She was surprised at the rawness in his voice, and she sensed urgency in his words.

Suddenly she heard Hector in the background, talking quickly to Charlie, "That was the boss, we got to go. Now." She felt her heart race, as she heard the change in Charlie's voice, he was all business now. "We're being deployed, I have to go, I'm sorry." He lowered his voice slightly, "We'll talk when I get home, okay? Be good." Seconds after hearing the click, she was up and running to the phone.

She picked up the receiver, fully intending to call him back immediately and pour her heart out to him, but as she dialed, she realized she couldn't. Lisa hung up the phone and walked slowly to the couch, her eyes dampening quickly with tears. She wanted to hear his voice, hear him say her name again, but she couldn't risk endangering his life or the mission by pouring out her heart to him the minute before he deployed with his team. She'd have to wait until he returned, and then they would talk things over. She sighed heavily, dried her face and continued to dress, hoping it would be a quiet day in the TOC.

Adjusting himself inside the Black Hawk, Mack looks through the doorway and glances toward Jonas, "Hey Top, ain't this where Collins ditched?"

Jonas shot a hard glare towards Mack which did the trick by unsettling him. Jonas then lightened his face into a slight grin and replied, "It was a nice watch, wasn't it?"

Hector quietly commented, "I really liked that jeep. Wonder if it's still there…" he then continued to gaze at nothing in general, but appeared to be deep in thought.

"Well, this ain't no field trip down memory lane…Charlie, where are we at?" Jonas quickly shifted gears. Charlie has been around a long time, this was a small test to see if he was up to speed on the operation. Jonas had noticed a distance to him that was unnatural. Hector, now Hector was always the quiet, brooding type, but Charlie was the center of attention normally. He was unusually quiet so far in the mission, and Jonas wondered if he should have taken Bob along instead. He knew Charlie was going through some personal stuff, but he hadn't realized how deeply it affected him. Jonas just hoped it wouldn't affect the mission or the team.

Charlie had offered to take the headset on this ride. Normally, the team leader would do so in case things went bad. He had communications with the pilot and crew. He would hear their conversations and when they called out markers and terrain features. Should they have to ditch unexpectedly the team would know where they were in relation to the target. Despite his misgivings Jonas was heaping a great responsibility on Charlie and Charlie knew it, too.

He tried to keep his head clear and concentrate on the mission ahead. But his thoughts wandered back to Lisa over and over again. Charlie wished he would have spoken with her before the unit deployed. But things happened so quickly, he had no time to see her, and he didn't want to leave such a message on her answering machine. He kept reminding himself that things would be cleared up once they got home. Finish the mission, and then he could see her again. He hoped this would be another quick in and out job, but since when did things go his way when it came down to his love life lately?

The map was spread on the floor between Charlie and Hector. Each man had a foot on a map corner. This had struck Jonas as odd, but they hadn't lost the map yet. Charlie took his knife and jabbed at a point on the map, much to the consternation of the Crew Chief who yelled, "Hey, I don't stab holes in your floor, do I?"

"Sorry, Bro.", Charlie then gave exact coordinates on the grid to his team leader and raised a hand in submission to the Chief.

"As you can all guess this is not where we want to be. We been here before and they know us, but Ryan says we're the best bet on the job. Of course, aren't we the best bet on any job?" Jonas had to lighten the mood after Charlie's erratic behavior. He continued, "The name of the game here is Nomad. There are only about 2 million of them in the area, so I don't think it'll be hard to find one, but the goal is to not find them."

Charlie felt Top's eyes on his back, and tried to ignore the pointed looks his teammates were giving him. He knew what was running through their minds, and he vowed to shrug off all thoughts of Lisa and put the mission first.

Earlier the previous day an American aircraft had experienced turbulence followed by an engine malfunction which had brought the plane down. It was a quiet landing though, as nobody knew it had occurred, at least nobody on this continent did. This was an experimental aircraft with equipment that need not be seen by any foreign powers. The CIA volunteered assistance in the matter, which was odd because there had been near open hostility with the Unit recently. They had a man posing as an archeologist, with a small crew, "digging sites" throughout the region. His role was to locate the aircraft site and guide the team in to do their work. They have to recover the sensitive materials and destroy the plane.

As the Hawk approached its destination the pilot did a series of fake landings. If there were people in the area they needed to be as confused as possible about the location. The pilot did the exact same sequence several times, dropped the team, and repeated it a few more times. Hopefully, any locals would be stretched thin checking dry holes.

Kayla turned to Bob, who was in charge of the TOC momentarily while the Colonel was away. "Sgt. Brown, Bravo team is almost in, drop off in five. We should have a satellite visual in a few more moments to confirm coordinates." The staff worked quietly monitoring the team's presence on foreign soil, keeping tabs on their men and support staff from afar. Lisa Anderson appeared at his elbow, handing over a bright orange folder, marked with security warnings. "Hey Bob," she looked around the room noting the incoming satellite link and hoping for a glimpse of Charlie. "Here's the weekly briefing report." He knew Lisa usually didn't walk over to the TOC just to deliver the standard weekly reports, and he could only guess as to why she was lingering in the room. He spoke quietly to her, so the staff wouldn't hear, "they're getting dropped off now, why don't you hang around in case we need you?" Bob smiled knowingly at her, seeing the relief in her face and chuckling at her response, "Well, I guess I could. I mean, if you really need me." She walked away to get a closer look at the screens.

Hovering several feet off the ground the bird did a quick flare and leveled out. Mack leapt out of the open door followed by Hector, Charlie, and Jonas. The team immediately fanned out. Mack and Hector stood to, while Charlie and Jonas checked the map with their GPS coordinates.

Jonas nodded and said, more to himself than to Charlie, "These boys don't play around." The team had been dropped almost perfectly on their intended location. Charlie nodded silently and then motioned on the map their route which was confirmed by Jonas. Charlie quickly folded the map and said aloud, "Left cargo." He had said this so each member of the team knew where the map was on his person. They all had maps, but Charlie's was the most detailed and would come in handy should things turn ugly.

Jonas moved towards Hector and Mack saying, "We're on course. No dramas. Keep to the plan until Murphy changes the rules." Murphy's Law was ever present within the Special Operations world. If it could go wrong, it probably would. Jonas rose up and said, "As the Brits say, let's get tabbing."

The team then moved off towards their rendezvous with the CIA man. It wasn't more than a 6 mile walk, but in the desert 6 miles can seem like 6 lifetimes. Hector caught up to Charlie and walked in silence for a few minutes. "You alright?" he asked his friend, knowing he was waging an internal battle within to focus on the matters at hand, and hoping for the team's sake he was winning. Charlie nodded as they trudged onward, "Yeah, I'm good." Maybe if he kept saying it, he could convince himself, he thought as they continued on their trek.

From the top of a small sand dune Jonas was able to make out a ragged camp in the near distance. There was a small flag attached to the tent which was the signal that all is well and to come in.

The guide was friendly and an impeccable host. He greeted his allies with cold beverages and a meal. Such polite actions were welcomed, but were accepted with skepticism. Jonas was made nervous by these actions and remained on guard.

Their contact had not seen the plan himself yet, because he was only given the vaguest of directions. The team mounted out within the hour, leaving the camp and the crew to continue with their cover. The contact would continue with them.

The glimmer of the desert heat made long distance vision a rare commodity. Charlie had this nagging, ominous, feeling in his gut. He could not shake the feeling that something was not right. Charlie began to look in every direction more so than usual.

Noticing the distracted soldier the contact said, "Haboob." And nodded his head to the west. Hector's head snapped towards the contact and said, "How come I can't go in the desert with Charlie and not get a damn sand storm."

Without looking over Mack shot back, "Dude, it counts as hazardous. You're getting paid to be Charlie's unlucky rabbit foot."

Within the span of several moments the wind began to pick up and the men began to cover any exposed skin. This sand can cut right through skin. Jonas gave the order to continue moving. It would have wiser to stop, but the sensitivity of the mission would not allow this.

Lisa noticed the feed was getting grainy and cutting out occasionally, she knew what that meant, a possible sandstorm coming up. Her stomach fluttered nervously, she tried not to worry about Charlie, she knew he was a professional and could handle the mission. But she still worried.

After several more minutes Jonas decided they had to stop. They could not see and the strength of the wind was sapping their energy and they needed all they could get. The men were strung out though. They need to complete this mission successfully, and he needed the men at their full strength.

Charlie's mind was nowhere near the mission. His love life had come between him and his job. As the command was passed down the line Charlie heard it, but it never registered and he continue forward without the rest of the team. After what seemed an eternity the storm passed and the desert was again visible. Charlie felt the change in the storm and began to look for his team when to his horror he realized they were nowhere to be seen. Charlie tried to radio his team, but in his disorganized state, he had forgotten to check the batteries which were dead.

From the East, unknown to Charlie, a platoon of soldiers were approaching his location. Amazingly enough, Charlie was actually near the site of the crash. The African soldiers had been tipped off about a disturbance in this area and were sent to check it out.

Charlie reasoned that his best bet was to continue to the target. Worse case scenario was that he would be alone until the team arrived. The mission comes first and he knew they would arrive. After a few more miles Charlie could see the aircraft, which was in decent condition considering what had happened.

Charlie stopped and remained silently hugging the sand listening for anything out of the ordinary. After ascertaining that the scene was safe he approached the aircraft. Entering the area of the wreckage he was immediately struck with a sweet, foul odor. Charlie found the pilot, dead and decomposing already in the heat, strapped into his seat.

Charlie began to search the area for any confidential debris. His mind constantly drifted from the mission. He could hear her voice and see her face as clearly as if she was here. He shook his head to remove the image, but it was to no avail. Suddenly, Charlie did not need to try and remove the mental image.

An oddly familiar voice called out from nearby, "I think you should not move."

Charlie spun quickly bringing his M4 to his shoulder and dropping to one knee. He knew this voice. He was able to identify a target and 2 rounds quickly put him down, but he was soon out of the fight when a 7.62 AK round tore through his left arm and into his rib cage. Charlie dropped, losing his grip on the weapon. The pain was excruciating and his vision began to blur. He could make out a form moving towards him. He began to reach for his sidearm, but was stopped when he saw the stock of an AK 47 coming at his head…


	8. Part 8

Slowly rising from the ground, the remainder of Alpha Team began to sort themselves outs. Hector began to tick off their numbers in his head and to his dismay he was one off. At this same moment, in unison, every man said aloud, "Where's Charlie?" They began to pick apart the area looking for any sign of their comrade.

"Snake Doctor, come in." the TOC was calling in to the team.

"Dog Patch, go for Snake Doc," Jonas quickly replied as his eyes began to shift across the horizon.

In the TOC Kayla continued, "Snake Doc, we had a live feed from the drone on Alpha 3. He was 2 miles North by West of your current location. He reached the site and came into contact with Militia. He did not respond to communications requests."

Kayla tried not to stare at Lisa; everyone else in the TOC was watching her, waiting for her to breakdown. Gossip travels quickly on any base, and Ft. Griffith was no exception, everyone knew there was something going on between Anderson and Sgt. Grey, but not many people knew the details.

"Dog Patch, what's his status?", now Jonas' concern reached a new level. His eyes began to dart rapidly as he waited for a reply.

"Wait out." came the communication. Jonas reeled back, took a deep breath and prepared to go off on Kayla, but suddenly relaxed as he realized she had the same goal he did. Finally, "MIA. The footage was poor, but it appears he was picked up."

Anderson was typing furiously at a keyboard, trying to pick up another satellite feed, from any country, in an effort to track Charlie. The minute she saw the grainy picture of Charlie being taken, her brain took over as her heart had practically stopped. She felt the room eyeing her and she swore that she would act as professional as she could until the men had rescued him. Once he was safe in their hands, she would allow herself to go to pieces.

"Holy mother of God!" Jonas spat as all the men, aside the CIA contact, began to sort their gear out and tank up on water. They were getting ready to move.

"Snake Doc, you're advised to get out now. Word from the Farm is that the mission is compromised and everyone needs to exfil. The RV Camp claim soldiers are everywhere. You must exfil most ricky tick." Kayla bit her lip after speaking the words.

Jonas shook his head in disgust and threw his radio to the ground while the TOC continued to request confirmation of their last message. Jonas raised his M4 and fired a quick burst into the radio. "I confirm my radio doesn't work." Turning towards the team he simply stated, "Ruck up." And the men immediately gathered their gear to move.

Lisa whirled on her feet and tried to restrain herself from yelling at the man standing next to Bob Brown. "What do you mean, you're recalling them? They are a man down, they won't leave him behind. Let them finish their job!" The local CIA SAC dismissed her impassively and continued to speak to Bob. "Pull them out now, I don't care how you do it, but get them out of the god forsaken place now!" He walked away to take a phone call as Lisa purposefully strode up to Brown. They locked eyes and she urgently whispered, "They will find him, just give them a chance." He nodded slightly and asked Kayla to reestablish comm with Jonas.

"Snake Doctor, come in, Snake Doctor to Dog Patch, come in." Kayla repeated several times into her headset, shaking her head at Bob.

Through the searing pain that seemed to wrap itself around his head like a coil Charlie could see that he was in a small concrete room. He noticed a chair in the corner, a small bucket of water, and the lack of windows. The only light came from a small fixture on the ceiling. Hearing heavy footsteps Charlie quickly tried to rise, but collapsed from the pain in his arm. It was then he realized he had been shot as well.

Charlie's breath came in short gasps which only worsened the pain he felt. Realizing he was weak and vulnerable he let the feeling of helplessness engulf his body. He had only felt like this once before, but she never shot him. He tried to think if she would be on today; he couldn't bear the thought of her working the TOC and knowing he was captured.

The door slammed open and immediately two African men wearing olive fatigues rushed towards him. In a quick motion they each grabbed an arm and pried him from the floor. The sudden movement coupled with the pain caused Charlie to vomit on the floor which then splattered across one of the men's boots.

The soldier dropped Charlie with disgust and began to kick at his side violently and without mercy. The man began to hurl insults at Charlie and the voice rang throughout his head. Where had he heard it before?

"You want to cheat me? You think you Americans are so smart?" the man continued to kick Charlie with all his power as he hurled his insults.

It suddenly dawned on Charlie before he passed out from the pain that the man had been leading the patrol they had bumped into 2 years earlier when recovering a satellite component.

"I think we should not go. He is gone", the CIA man blocked Jonas' path. "We cannot risk all of us for one man."

"Son, this ain't a Democracy. Best you remember the CIA will deny your existence so a body bleaching in the sun out here won't cause much trouble." Jonas settled his gaze upon the eyes of the contact, but the man turned his head away, ashamed. Jonas continued, "Plus if I don't bring him home, I know a certain young lady that will not be happy with me at all." Jonas took another step forward and the man placed a hand on his chest. Jonas quickly locked his hand on top of it and began to pull the man's middle finger away and down.

The CIA man dropped to a knee as Jonas continued, "It ain't going to take much more pressure and your finger is going to be able to touch your wrist, son. Now you shut up and follow or I'll ruin your day."

Bob paced, only slightly worried that Jonas wasn't picking up Kayla's comm request, he motioned for her to try one more time. He knew his team would never leave a man in the field, and he was sure their radio had met with an 'unfortunate' premature demise. Now he had to think of a way to get the Agent Miller out of the TOC so Bob and his team could support Jonas in the best way possible.

Lisa sat quietly in the corner, seemingly dazed at first glance, but when Bob focused his attention on her, he could see she was concentrating on the data scrolling past on her terminal. He walked in her direction but was blindsided by Miller, barging through the room like he owned the place. "Sgt. Brown, what's the status of your men, are they pulling out?" He checked his watch and fidgeted restlessly while waiting for an answer. Bob fought the urge to smash the guy's face into the wall, and shook his head while formulating a response.

"Communications are down, and our feed just went out. Most likely a haboob, could be some time before we get in touch with the unit." Bob turned away, thankful at the thought that Jonas just won himself a few hours lead time on searching for Charlie. "Not a problem, Brown. My office is attempting to reach our contacts and they will be instructed to cut their losses and abort immediately."

"Cut their losses?" Lisa stood up and marched over to the agent. Bob sensed this was about to get ugly and went to intercept her path. "Losing a man is an acceptable loss to you? You bastard, let them finish their mission and they will ALL come home!" She shouted at the smirking man, who was putting on his coat. "Does the Colonel normally hire such emotional analysts? If you can't hack it honey, you need to get back in the kitchen." At that comment, Lisa practically leapt over a chair, with her arm raised, ready to attack. Bob saw it coming and threw himself between the two, motioning to a nearby Corporal, "Get him out of here, now!"

Between long swigs of water Hector questioned Jonas, "Top, where are we going to go? How do we start?" Hector, the quiet man was visibly agitated at the loss of Charlie. He was determined as much, if not more, than Jonas to recover their comrade. Friends are in short supply in this line of work and Charlie was one of the best he could remember having.

"We're gotta get out of here for now. I know Charlie, but I also know we have to prepare for the worst and you know the worst is that Charlie talked. Let's get a few clicks between us and this area. We ain't gonna help Charlie by being his suite mates in the African Hilton." Jonas gestured towards Hector's radio and nodded. "We gotta get some intel."

Hector began to switch frequencies for a secure line used when there was a "radio malfunction". The only ones monitoring this channel were in the TOC and they were also isolated so they didn't have to hide or deny anything.

The CIA man fidgeting endlessly, fearful for his life. He was between a rock and a hard place. He did not want to be here because he could be killed, but it seemed he would be killed if he tried to leave. Mustering his courage for a final attempt he quietly rattled off, "I really think we should forget this. He has to be dead. You can kill me, but it serves no purpose. You must think like rational men."

Jonas whirled towards the man with his hand reaching for his pistol, but was surprised to see Mack was a step ahead with his side arm raised and resting gently on the man's nose.

"It will serve the purpose of maintaining the peaceful silence I so enjoy." Mack snarled as he began to push the gun into the man's nose causing him to roll from his sitting position onto his back. "That will be the last time we have this discussion." Mack then reached for his silencer and began to thread it to the weapon. His blue eyes were as dark as night as he stared the man down. Mack placed the weapon on safe and began to ominously tap the side of the trigger with his index finger.

Bob took a five minute break and walked down the hall to Anderson's office. She was sitting motionless in the darkened room; he could tell she was weeping. He knocked softly and slowly approached her. A few moments passed, before she was able to compose herself enough to meet Brown's face. She looked at him, smiling slightly when she saw the concern in his eyes. "I'm fine; I'll get back in there shortly." Bob shook his head, "you should go home. It's going to be a very long night. I'll call you if something happens." He morbidly wondered if this is how Kim would react if it was him that was MIA and not Charlie. At least Lisa had an insider's point of view since she worked intel for many years, but she was still a woman. A woman in love with a missing operator.

She shook her head as to clear her thoughts, "No. I want to be here. Just in case." She bit her lip as she got up and they walked back to the TOC, neither one speaking. Bob hesitated before speaking, but finally decided to try to make her feel better. "They'll get Charlie back, don't worry." She turned to look at him, the doubt obvious in her eyes, and he continued, adding some levity to the situation, "Jonas makes friends easy, he'll find some help and they'll rescue Charlie and be home in time for dinner tomorrow."

He watched her turn to him, and he braced himself for either a slap across the face or a fresh round of tears. Instead, he was pleasantly surprised when her eyes lit up and she reached up to give him a friendly kiss on the cheek. "What a great idea, thanks Bob!"

"What did I do now?" he wondered out loud, as she turned on her heels and ran ahead of him into the TOC. As she pushed through the doors, he caught up to her, just in time to see her approach one of her fellow Homeland Security agents who was covering for an absent Sgt in the TOC. "Davidson, get me into the Pan African Parliament database NOW!" she spat out in a commanding tone. Agent Davidson recognized the authority in her voice, even though technically they were the same grade, and quickly started working at his station.

Lisa leaned over his shoulder as Davidson hacked into the secure website that housed the information she wanted so desperately. "Ok, we're in." He concentrated on what he was doing, hopeful she had a lead on some way to find Grey. "Get me the delegates' personal information…" He glanced up, "There's over 250 parliamentary reps boss." Brown came over, his curiosity piqued, "You have a plan Lis?" She looked up at him, her face a curious mix of hope and fear. "Yes, just…let me run with it for now, okay Bob?" Sensing he didn't have many other options, he nodded and stood slightly off to the side, just watching for now.

She turned her attention back to Davidson, "There are 265 members to be exact, scan it alphabetically. Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, get my drift?" Davidson nodded and started calling up the personal information of the members of parliament. "What are we looking for?" he asked as he went down the list of countries that made up the legislature body of the African Union. "I'll know it when I see it. Keep going." She stood behind him, her eyes glued to his screen as the foreign names scrolled by quickly.

Twenty minutes later, neither agent had moved so much of an inch as the names and confidential personal information flashed quickly on the darkened screen. "There, that one, stop at Egypt." Anderson suddenly came to life, pointing at the screen excitedly. "Heshmat Fahmi. Get me everything on him and his family. I need a phone number for his youngest son, Ahmed. Now. Get on it, Davidson." She walked to get a cup of coffee, in an effort to stave off the tiredness she felt in every bone in her body.

Charlie snapped back to consciousness with the aid of a water bucket filled with ice being dumped on him. His body had become sensitive to the slightest feeling and the freezing ice hitting him was not pleasant. He rolled quickly away which only aggravated his injuries and increased the pain.

A soldier grabbed him by the collar and hoisted him to his knees. Just as quickly the soldier jammed his own knee into the side of Charlie's head. It might be easier if he knew what this was leading to, but for now it seemed like pointless violence. Charlie tried to let his mind drift. To leave his body and forget the pain.

Blood poured from his mouth which had a numb feeling. The man who had kneed him grabbed his jaws with his hand and turned his head. Charlie could hear a cracking sound, but felt nothing as the man pushed his face away. Charlie turned and spit blood onto the floor and then he realized the cracking sound. The knee to his face had cracked two of his teeth and the violent grab at his face had broken them off.

Before he could imagine a story he'd have to tell the dentist the beating began in earnest. Charlie had no energy to fight or to cover himself from the kicks and punches. He tried to drift away…away into Lisa's arms. Will I ever see her again? The blood on Charlie's face mixed with tears.


	9. Part 9

Davidson walked across the TOC and interrupted Lisa as she was discussing her plans with Bob. "Got the info on your guy." He handed her a folded slip of paper containing the contact number for one Ahmed Fahmi. Anderson turned back to Bob, "you okay with this? I can't think of anything else …" Her voice faltered, and she waited impatiently for his response.

Bob nodded curtly at her, "Go ahead. Do it." He stood off to the side slightly as she picked up a secure line and dialed the international number. Lisa spoke quickly in Arabic as she paced back and forth on the floor. Bob listened to her words, translating what he could instantly in his head. 

_"Please, Ahmed, I need your help…I have no where else to turn…I'm begging you to do this for me…"_

He hoped her plan would work; he motioned to Kayla to try different frequencies on the comm. to get in touch with Jonas and the men.

_"I can't tell you that, I'm sorry…I know he's alive…please, won't you at least try?"_

Her voice trembled and she became more visibly agitated. Was she asking too much, she thought to herself? Could she possibly trust her old friend to rescue the man she loved?

_"Yes, yes, there's a team ready to move out the minute I tell them…of course…Ahmed…thank you…yes, I understand."_

She grabbed for a pen to write down the coordinates being read into the phone. She would have them patched through to Jonas the minute she hung up. She heaved a sigh of relief, and struggled to keep the tears at bay. She wondered if Charlie was even still alive for a brief moment, or was she sending more men to their death.

She turned to Bob after hanging up the phone, amazed at the sudden quietness that had engulfed the TOC while she spoke on the phone. Bob looked at her questioningly, "Will he do it? Will he meet them?" She nodded, holding out the hastily written information out to Bob. He grabbed it and rushed to Kayla who had finally gotten through to the men.

Jonas thumbed his safety off. He could hear a low growling sound come from his left side. Here he was, alone in a grassy knoll over looking a small town, and he wasn't really alone. Lisa had sent a message that she had a contact in country who would be of the most valuable service. It was to be a covert meeting.

Just because he was Lisa's man doesn't mean he should be trusted. One hundred yards to his left and right were Mack and Hector, respectively. Both men were using night scopes to over watch his position.

Jonas still felt vulnerable and he tried hard to push away from the pangs of fear and doubt in his mind. He was here to make contact with Lisa's man, Ahmed. Ahmed would arrive at 2:15 AM. He was to put an infrared firefly on his bumper to be identified. It could only be seen by night optics, which bother Hector and Mack had possession of.

"Snake Doc, advise you don't move too quick." Mack said in a soft voice over the radio. "You've got some company in the form of a very large yellow kitty."

Jonas broke squelch twice on the radio for confirmation. 15 feet away he could see bushes rustling around and he knew he was a few seconds away from shaking hands with a lion. Jonas slowly eased his body into a position where he could run or draw his weapon quickly.

Jonas heard a soft whistle and the sound of a bullet connecting with flesh. There was a loud groan which was followed by three more silenced shots. He heard the sound of the lion dropped onto the ground. "Christ, that was not something I expected to ever be a part of." Jonas croaked.

"Just be glad I caught sight of him when I did. You were 3 seconds from knowing what a Gazelle feels like." Mack was breathing heavy as well. This was just too odd of a situation.

Hector, who had remained silent for the last hour suddenly interrupted his state of being and offered up the news, "I got a firefly. North by West, 1 minute out." He adjusted his position on the ground while the vehicle approached. His right leg felt like it had a colony of ants moving in. In reality he did have ants crawling all over his body. The life of a sniper in a hide.

The car approached slowly to the meeting point, there were no headlights visible. The only light was from the firefly that only he and Mack could see. The driver slowly emerged from the vehicle and walked towards Jonas. He paused and noticed the dead lion.

He gestured towards it and spoke, "What the hell is that?"

Jonas let a small smirk spread across his face, "That's the last contact who screwed me over." 


	10. Part 10

Bob walked briskly down the hall, towards Anderson's office. He had kicked her out of the TOC a few hours ago, insisting she get some sleep. She had argued with him of course, he couldn't blame her, but in end she knew he was right and relented.

He knocked softly twice and turned the knob slowly, just in time to see Lisa stir gently on the threadbare couch just inside the small cramped office. She sat up, and motioned for him to enter. "Did you hear from Jonas?" she asked gently, shivering slightly as she fought to keep her composure. Bob nodded, "Yes, he met with Ahmed, it's a go." He paused momentarily, seeing the relief flood her eyes at the news. "They're going to meet up soon, we could use you in there if you're feeling up to it."

She nodded, "Just give me a few minutes okay, I'll be right there." Bob left her with her thoughts and walked out of the office. She sat motionless for a few moments after he left, her mind focused on Charlie. She hoped he was safe, and could hold on until he was rescued. She breathed in and out steadily, concentrating on the matters at hand. She was needed in the TOC, and had to remain professional for the time being.

She knew Charlie was still alive, she thought to herself as she walked down the corridor. She would know if he was dead, she would feel it in her heart, and even though her body trembled when she thought of him, she knew he was still alive…for now.

"Do we trust him? This isn't the place or time for wishing on stars, Top." Mack was pushing the line with the question of his superior, but he also knew that Jonas was always open to suggestions and concerns.

"If she does…we can try." Jonas was referring to Lisa back on the base. This contact was her guy. Jonas continued, "You know she wants this as much as we do. Probably more. Every option must be explored.

Hector spread the building floor plan out in the back of the flat bed truck. It wasn't much for security, but then again it wasn't designed to hold prisoners.

Ahmed stifled a cough and began, "There are 2 doors which are openly accessible. Supposedly there is another entrance through the neighboring building. I cannot confirm this, but I would believe it exists. The building I speak of is to the South. First door is North. Opens inward, lock and deadbolt. Second door is West. Again, inward with the same locks."

"These locks, how strong are they?" Mack quickly interjected.

"They are not sophisticated. Basic, really. The rooms are also small. No room is larger than 10 x 15 feet except for one and it is 15 x 15. I believe this is the room your Charlie is in." Ahmed shuffled his feet, these men made him nervous despite their being allies.

"What about the hallways?" Hector was all business and wanted to get this over with. "This map is garbage, man. We need real answers."

In anger Ahmed replied, "Listen, I know what you do and how you do it. You must listen to me. If I have to I will go with you. Does that make this better? Do you trust me now?" he shot a glare at Mack on this last line.

"Well then, if you're the expert what do you suggest?" Jonas cut through the anger and tension with his slightly sarcastic question.

Ahmed eyed Jonas with a slight amount of contempt, "Maximum entry points. The building is not that large, but is quite a challenge for the 3 of you…I mean, the 4 of us. I believe, whole heartedly, that he is in the larger of the rooms and we should concentrate on it."

Ahmed's plan was simple and very blunt. The doors would be blown with shot guns to begin the confusion. Two men at each door. Those on the South door would go for the largest room as it was closest to that point. The other 2 would leap frog the other rooms as they came to them. The rooms were small so one man could enter and dominate quickly. His plan hinged on Charlie being in the larger room which is why two men were sent there.

If it did hold Charlie it would most likely hold guards or other people and the odds were too stacked for a lone shooter. It was a risky plan any way it was looked at with so few men, but there was not much choice.

To his surprise, Ahmed found Jonas and the other two men to be accepting of the plan, but with minor changes. Ahmed was relieved to find that Jonas wanted his company as his second shooter. Ahmed had done these things before, but he was not on their level and they all knew it.

The building was in sight. To the dismay of all involved the building was the same size as the map had shown, however the map neglected to point out the several windows on each side. This would make the approach that much harder.

Deciding to err on the side of caution Jonas kept the assault on hold until dark. He pointed to several nearby hilltops and instructed Mack and Hector to set up shop and observe the area. They had 7 hours until dark.

Within minutes of setting up Jonas was able to receive more information that the blue print could ever hope to. There were 3 windows on the West, 2 North, and 4 East. The South was attached to the neighboring building. Jonas knew there'd be a risk that they'd escape into that building before they could complete the assault. He didn't have enough to everything safely, but he would change his plans.

There was a small gas tank 50 yards to the North of the building. If he set a charge on that it could cause a big enough distraction to get in. Hector had informed Jonas that through the windows on his front and flank he could make out 3 rooms. Mack identified 4 others.

"Too many rooms for us to do this quick." Jonas took a swig from his canteen and offered it to Ahmed. The man shook his head at first, but then sighed and nodded. The canteen was tossed over.

Ahmed was distraught. He was trying his hardest to help and had already failed several times. He wondered if these men might kill him if things got any worse.

Jonas keyed the mic he wore and began to explain his new plan to the pair of sniper/observers. "All right lads, here's the deal. Old plan is done. Too many variables and risks. It ain't worth losing 5 men to get 1 especially when there's no help near. I want to lay some demo on that gas tank. My hope is that the explosion will draw them out of that building." Jonas paused momentarily to take any feedback, but none was given. "Ok then, when they run out Dirt Diver, you and Hammerhead will pick them off. I want you on the North. No long range, you'll come in before that. Ahmed and I will be waiting West with the same intention. I figure they'll go out the door near the tank so we'll have an open shot on the West. We're going in through the windows. I don't want to play games in the hall way, I'll get right into a room. Once you've taken control of your front, just go in the door they came out. If that doesn't happen I'll leave the next step to your better judgment. "

Mack and Hector both rogered the plan and then Mack asked, "What time?"

"2 AM, I believe will suffice. I want them half asleep when it goes down. Can't shoot if you can't think." came the reply.


	11. Part 11

The wait was killing her. She continued to pace the hallway trying to keep from looking at the clock, but she knew time couldn't go any faster. Jonas had made contact with Ahmed in the early hours of the day and he agreed to help them find Charlie. Lisa knew he had the resources available to find Charlie, but she wasn't sure he would agree so she was immensely grateful to him for his assistance. 

Then, radio silence. Nothing from either Jonas or Ahmed for hours, despite Kayla's attempts to contact the men. Bob wasn't worried, he knew they were preparing for a rescue and needed to gather their information and formulate a plan. He knew Jonas would do his best, and he knew they would be bringing Charlie home, one way or another.

Incoming from the left at 9 o'clock. Night lights, 10 miles an hour." Mack waited for Jonas' word.

Jonas shot a quick peripheral glance towards Ahmed as he strained to see the incoming vehicle. "Dirt Diver, hold on it, but don't engage."

"It will be fine, sir. Those are my men." Ahmed placed his hands slowly in front of himself as if to motion Jonas to calm himself. Jonas ignored him completely.

The team did not carry a huge assortment of weapons on this mission. They had no idea of what was to happen. Their boon was granted when Ahmed had arranged to get them the gear they needed to rescue Charlie.

In the bed of the truck, beneath a blanket, lay several weapons, a small amount of explosives, and small ladder. Mack and Hector each retrieved an MP5SD. Mack also picked up an old M14 rifle.

Jonas selected an MP5K as well as a 9 mm. He instructed Ahmed to take the same. The idea was that both weapons fired the same type of ammunition. If there were some problem they would have a back up plan.

The M14 would serve as the primary weapon for Hector and Mack's role in the mission. Upon moving in close the MP5's would prove quiet, accurate, and effective.

Jonas had little concern for the 9mm. Even though it is prone to pass through a human body he had only one person to concern himself with. He also knew that Charlie would have the presence of mind to make himself small. 

Jonas also grabbed a shotgun with a pistol grip and a length of bungee cord. He would sling the shot gun with the cord. There would be no fumbling. The cord would stretch and retract keeping the shotgun free of his other weapons.

He would use a window as his entry point. He would use the shotgun to shatter the glass and any door he might encounter. The ladder, carried by Ahmed, would be placed at a 45 degree angle against the broken window's pane. Instead of crawling through they could walk on the ladder and through the window with a minimal chance of not being able to shoot or defend themselves.


	12. Part 12

"All stations ready?" Jonas keyed the mic while mentally preparing himself for the assault.

"All stations ready." came the reply from Dirt Diver. Without a word Hector began to prepare his detonator for the explosives on the fuel tank.

"Roger that. I'll count it down." Jonas proceeded, "Standby, I have control. Execute, execute…" before he could speak the last word their world was rocked by a brilliant explosion and flash of light from the fuel tank.

Despite being out of its line of sight Jonas and Ahmed could feel the heat and blast. Poor intelligence now plagued the team as 5 men came out of the North end of the building. Jonas received the word that the first stage of the plan went as expected. 

He and Ahmed made their approach to the window. Jonas was covering his arcs with the shotgun. He paused to the left of the window and waited for Ahmed to tap his shoulder. Once he felt the touch he turned and shot the windows out.

Ahmed slammed the ladder down on the window pane, among the shattered glass. Just as quickly Jonas let the shotgun fall in its sling to the side. Drawing his pistol, keeping it at the ready, he began to walk up the ladder and through the window.

Once on the pane he engaged one target and eliminated it. He then hopped to the ground and turned right towards the longer end of the room. Before he had taken a step Ahmed was behind him on the ladder.

The door immediately opened and 2 men entered firing. Jonas wheeled to engage and heard the subtle sound of a man losing balance and falling. It really wasn't a sound, simply a sense he had picked up over the years. He then felt the burn as a bullet from Ahmed's weapon entered his right calf.

Jonas stumbled slightly. Ahmed, despite his claim of being a proficient gun slinger had missed the first rule of firearm safety and left his finger on the trigger. The moment directly after his wounding Jonas glanced towards his comrade, but was pushed back by a 9 millimeter round in his right shoulder.

Jonas tumbled onto his back, but fought to stay in a position to engage the enemy. He fired off a round as he went backwards which took care of one target. The second fired a round which connected with Ahmed's shoulder. Ahmed stumbled backwards and ran into the wall.

Jonas returned fire and took out the second man. He pulled himself up and towards Ahmed. Both men noticed the lack of a hostage in the room. Back fire 2. This plan has gone to shit.

In an even voice Jonas heard, "Snake Doc. We have 3 down. 2 runners went back in. There's at least 2 more we didn't see earlier. At this exact moment a burst of automatic rifle fired shook the room as Ahmed crumpled into the ground.

Jonas then heard the dead man's click as he pulled the trigger and no round was fired. Instinctively he hit the magazine while racking the slide back. He then slapped the bottom of the magazine out of the weapon and reached for a fresh one.

However, this was not needed as the shooter's head exploded in a bloody mist. Jonas could see the left half of the man's face disappeared just a second before Mack came through the door. 


	13. Author's Note

Author's Note

March 2008

Sorry for the extreme delay in finishing this story. Honestly, I had the completed story in my head last summer and then TPTB aired the "Five Brothers" episode which blew my mind. As I'm sure it blew every other Unit fan's mind too. In my story, Charlie was captured and wounded severely. The guys rescue him, and Hector gets injured but survives. And, of course, he gets the girl.

After seeing the episode, I just couldn't continue the story. I was upset, I was furious, I was depressed and I was at a loss as to how to finish MY story without it seeming like a direct copy of the actual show. Then, TPTB decided to throw Annie in Charlie's lap and that just knocked the wind out of my sails. Toss in a writer's strike and CBS's non existent decision on whether or not to finish out the season, my mind isn't on finishing up the story. Or, I should say, wasn't on finishing up the story.

However, I have a new storyline in my mind and yet I have a nagging feeling that I really want to finish up "A Year in the Life". Just for the sake of continuity, I'm going to change my storyline and have Hector killed off, as much as I don't want that to happen. At this point, I want to end the story – I began it almost a year ago.

Thank you all for reading my stories and posting such great reviews. You have no idea what it means to me, that other people actually like my story ideas, writing style, etc etc. I'm not a writer, and I don't play one on tv. I've never written anything before, including fan fiction and I probably won't write anything other than Unit fic. Unless of course Irby wises up and sends me an autographed picture!!


	14. Part 13

Jonas breathed a quick sigh of relief at Mack's sudden appearance, "Right on time Dirt Diver, let's go get our boy back

Jonas breathed a quick sigh of relief at Mack's sudden appearance, "Right on time Dirt Diver, let's go get our boy back!" Skirting down the hallway keeping at least a foot off the wall, cause that's where bullets fired tend to travel, the two operators checked the rest of the rooms before coming to a stairway leading down.

Looking at each other they both nodded and Jonas unslung the shotgun on its bungee and aimed toward the door lock at a 45 degree angle. He pulled the trigger, the door lock shattered as the special shotgun round disintegrated on impact with the locking mechanism preventing any chance of someone on the other side being injured.

Stashing his shotgun, Jonas watched as Mack entered and cleared to the left as he entered right seeking the corner. The large hallway stretched about 75 feet with 2 small rooms to the left and one to the right...definitely not on the blueprints! The two rooms to the left were probably interrogation rooms and the one on the right a holding cell/torture area.

With Mack in the lead they moved quickly down the hall, weapons covering the left and right. Stopping at the first door Mack tested it and found he door unlocked. He then nodded to Jonas who moved up to make entry as Mack flung the door wide open preparing to follow him in. As Jonas entered he saw two Soldiers standing over a body delivering a ration of blows and kicks to the unfortunate soul lying there prostrate. Jonas and Mack wasted no time in "neutralizing" the unsuspecting guards, who died without seeing the avenging angels.

Charlie heard and then felt gunfire and the sound of bodies thumping to the floor around him, but the scene seemed to be taking place down below as he floated near the ceiling of the torture cell. He felt an out of body experience, similar to the ones reported by POWs in long term confinement while being brutally tortured for years.

The mind plays strange tricks on the senses, auditory exclusion often occurs during shootings as the mind shuts down hearing, and the eyes see things in slow motion as the brain struggles to process actions incomprehensible normally. Charlie saw the faces of Mack and Jonas swim into his vision and could see their lips moving but heard no sounds. Suddenly, reality caught up to Charlie's senses and he heard Jonas loud and clear.

"Betty Blue, you look like crap, you shouldn't let yourself go like that!" Charlie started to laugh but it quickly turned into a groan as his cracked ribs registered intense pain from his brutal beating. "Damn Top...hurts like hell!" He felt his head swim, and tried to stay conscious.

Hector knelt down and finished administering morphine to Ahmed who lay on the floor where he had been shot during the breach of the building. Determining that there was nothing else he could do for the injured man other than apply blood stopper sponges to the wounds and then dressings, Hector moved Ahmed into a corner behind a desk where he would be out of the line of fire until the team could retrieve him.

Moving down the hallway Hector followed the path of destruction that led to the room where Jonas, Mack and Charlie were located. Sliding under one of Charlie's arms while keeping the other on his weapon he and Mack lifted their injured friend off the floor. Jonas looked at Charlie and asked "can you walk?" Without missing a beat Charlie gave a painful grimace and replied "I can dance if that's what it takes to get out of here!" Looking at the three of them Jonas remarked "good man, now let's boogie out of here." 


	15. Part 14

Jonas breathed a quick sigh of relief at Mack's sudden appearence, "Right on time Dirt Diver, let's go get our boy back

With Jonas leading the way the team retraced their steps as Hector filled them in on Ahmed's condition and location. Deciding to leave Hector and Charlie holed up in a ground floor room, Jonas and Mack climbed the stairs to the room where Ahmed lay wounded. Hector heard the sounds of multiple soldiers running down the hallway in the direction Jonas and Mack had moved. "Snake Doc, you have company headed your way, 3 to 4 bad guys!" Placing himself in front of Charlie, Hector covered the door to their room.

Mack and Jonas found Ahmed and picked him up, half carrying and half dragging his limp form behind them, weapons pointed towards the oncoming threat. Taking a small concussion grenade from his combat vest Mack looked at Jonas and said "I have this one!" Waiting till he heard the soldiers bearing down on them from around a corner Mack pulled the pin, tossed the grenade, and then ducked back to safety. The grenade detonated, stunning the guards who dropped their weapons and screamed as their ear drums burst from the loud explosion. While they were disoriented Mack and Jonas came around the corner firing their weapons into the hapless men.

Mack looked at Jonas who said "remember the only fair fight is the one you win!" Nodding his head in agreement Mack tightened his hold on Ahmed and with Jonas began moving toward his buddies.

Hector glanced around the room and noticed some components lying on a metal work bench. After checking to make sure Charlie was behind cover, he removed a tactical light from his pocket and checked the entire darkened room. Looking at the half-assembled components he recognized them as part of the secret surveillance camera from the CIA spy plane they had been sent to locate. Taking the small digital controller and signal transmitter from the table he placed them in a dump pouch on his left side and snugged down the lock cord. The larger components he smashed with the butt of his pistol making sure that none of the finely ground optics were intact, next he used his leatherman tool to cut and rip the wires from the wiring harness until little was left of the major components. He retrieved a thermite device from his mission pack and placed it on top of the pile of equipment. The thermite would slag all the sensitive equipment fusing it into a lump of unrecognizable metal.

He heard Jonas call for them to come out into the hallway, he pulled the fuse on the thermite device and began moving, picking up Charlie on the way to the door counting down the seconds left until the destructive device activated. Moving into the lit hallway Hector and Charlie met the rest of their team and lead the way, half trotting and stumbling, down the cleared hallway.

Bursting out of the building the men heard the high pitched hiss of the thermite device as it performed its function - reducing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of classified surveillance gear to metal and glass goo. Jonas had already alerted the T.O.C. that the team would need a hasty extraction and began moving to the pre-planned extraction site where the bird would pick them up.

As the group moved over the rolling ground a couple of hidden sentries stood up and opened fire hitting Hector in the chest. Hector stared down at his shredded shirt, blood seeping through; looking back up at Charlie he muttered "sorry bro" and died in his friends' arms, slumping to the ground at Charlie's feet.

The rest of the team tracked on the two soldiers putting multiple rounds into their heads and chests. Stunned, the team went to their knees in a quick 360 degree circle as Jonas called the Blackhawk on his radio.

Mack checked Hector for vital signs before catching Jonas's eye and shaking his head. Charlie still held his friend refusing to let go of his arm and hand but using Hector's weapon to cover the team's flank. Jonas directed the chopper to look for the team's IR strobe and land at their location instead of the planned site 500 meters away.

As the helicopter landed the crew chief hopped out and ran towards the team to help with carrying the bodies of the casualties. Jonas waved him off as he carefully carried Hector's body to the waiting helicopter and placed him gently on the floor. Charlie leaned heavily on the chief, trying to stay close to Hector. He couldn't comprehend what had just happened, how it happened so quickly when they were so close to getting out. Mack and one of the crew carried the unconscious Ahmed to the helicopter. They would be making a slight detour to drop him off at a safe house 1000 meters away. Reaching into Hector's dump pouch Charlie removed the sensitive items placing them into Jonas's rough hands, tears streaming down his face, he struggled to get the words out "He never quit; he saved the mission and saved my life."

Jonas felt his heart break as he hustled his team onboard grabbing the headset and giving the terse command..."let's get the Hell out of here!" Turning to Charlie, he leaned in, and pulled him into a hug, his voice strong yet sad he said "it's not as important how you die as how you live your life…Lets go home son and bury our brother."

Mack watched as Jonas sat cross-legged on the floor holding onto Charlie as his emotions from the past few days bubbled up and overwhelmed him, hot tears flowed down Charlie's face dripping onto Hector's still body next to him. Looking at his friends Mack grabbed a headset and made the report to the T.O.C. giving them the bittersweet news of Charlie's rescue and Hector's death.


	16. Part 15

Lisa walked towards the TOC, then suddenly changed her mind and veered off the hallway into a quiet darkened office. She trembled slightly and decided to head back to her office in a half hearted attempt to get some sleep. She was physically and emotionally exhausted. They had been waiting to hear from Jonas for hours, and she was close to breaking. She had spent most of the night trying to track the unit on various satellites but with no success. Thoughts of Charlie never left her mind, she replayed the last time she heard his voice over and over in her mind. She cringed at the thought of never seeing him again, never talking to him again As she neared the door, she heard sudden shouts and yelling coming from the other direction. She quickly turned and walked back to the command center, her pace quickening with each step. Her heart was beating furiously as Bob pushed open the double doors and practically ran into her.

She held her breath for a minute as his eyes found hers. He hesitated for the briefest of moments and she felt herself go weak. But he gave her a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes and said the sweetest words she had ever heard, "They've got him. He's alive. And coming home."

She felt herself go numb, her mind wavered and the tears spilled out uncontrollably as she turned and stumbled blindly forward. She reached out to steady herself on the cold cement wall as she attempted to control her emotions. She faintly heard Bob ask if she was alright, if she had understood what he said about Charlie being on his way back to Ft. Griffith. Lisa had barely nodded her head as she felt her legs go out and she collapsed against the wall, her body racked with sobs as she finally broke down, knowing it was indeed over and he would be home soon.

_Later that night_

She paced back and forth quickly in the cool night air. She wasn't alone, but she tried to ignore the MPs standing next to the doors. Bob had insisted she not be left by herself, but she couldn't bear to spend one more minute inside the building. Even though she hadn't much sleep over the last few days she felt completely alive and awake. What a change from the night before. Just the thought of seeing Charlie again gave her the strength she needed. But at the same time, she was racked with guilt over Hector. He wasn't just a face in the crowd or a picture on the wall, some operator she worked with once and then quickly forgot as she moved from duty station to duty station. Charlie would be devastated she knew, she knew how close the two men were to each other. Brothers through and through. Hector's death would affect the entire team of course, but Charlie would suffer the most. Did Charlie even know, she thought to herself, from what Bob had told her he had been injured badly. But still alive. Focus on that, she kept repeating to herself, _he's still alive_.

The lights of the incoming aircraft seemed to burn through the darkness as it neared then roared down the runway and stopped a short distance away. Men rushed out of the building and vehicles raced out to the tarmac like a well orchestrated play. Her feet remained motionless for a few minutes as she watched the chopper gently land and the cargo doors slide open. She raced forward with one thought in her mind - to get to him immediately. Suddenly she felt herself jostled to the left as men ran past her, pushing her aside in their determined efforts to help their fellow Unit members.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lisa noticed a car pull up next to the ambulance. There was a glare off the stark white lettering on the side of the wagon, and she felt the chill up her spine as she realized it was here to pick up Sgt. Hector Williams. For his last ride home.

"Easy!" A voice bellowed out hurriedly. "Dammit Corporal, watch his head!" Lisa turned in the voice's direction to see Mack holding Charlie's legs as he gingerly lowered him out the door into the arms of the waiting medics who would rush him to the base hospital. She still couldn't see Charlie though, and she attempted to push through the crowd, her heart beating wildly and her eyes searching endlessly for his familiar face.

"GENTLEMEN," a deep voice bellowed out in front of her, "Let's make a path for the lady, she's been waiting for her man to come home," came the commanding voice of Jonas Blane. Lisa took a few steps towards him, unable to voice her thanks as the stretcher appeared a few feet in front of her and the badly injured figure of Charles Grey came into her view. She felt herself pause; her legs go weak at the sight of his body, covered in blood and bandages. Her eyes went to his face and she felt her breath stop. Bloody and bruised, one eye barely open and the other swollen and caked with blood. The guys had cleaned him up the best they could but she could see he had been shot and beaten severely.

Jonas immediately appeared by her side and gently lead her to the stretcher, "he's been asking for you", his voice intoned as he motioned for the medics to make way so she could spend a few precious moments with the semi conscious Grey. She took a few steps towards the stretcher, suddenly feeling like she was in control of her emotions again. She leaned towards his face; gently embracing him as his eyes fluttered open and he attempted to speak a few words.

"Hey..." he struggled to focus his eyes and catch his breath. She smiled beautifully at him, gingerly touching his bloodied face with both of her hands. "Hey yourself. Don't talk; you're going to be fine." Unmindful of the blood, she leaned into him as tightly as she dared as she repeated herself over and over as the medics attempted to lead him away to the waiting ambulance. "Everything's okay…you're going to be just fine…" she continued, as Charlie painfully tried to reach out for her. Her strength broke and she felt the tears come. Bringing his injured hand to her face, she managed to press a kiss to it as she hurried alongside the stretcher, not wanting to be apart from him for a second.

As they loaded him into the ambulance, her attention was drawn out the open doors to the sight of the remaining Unit members silently leading a flag draped coffin down the tarmac, their faces drawn and grim. A soft rain began to fall as the night darkened and the doors slammed shut, she wondered what tomorrow would bring.


	17. Part 16

2 Days Later

Jonas sat in the stiff backed chair and mindlessly flipped the magazine's pages back and forth. He peered at his watch and wasn't surprised to see it was nearly 6:00am. His leg was healing just fine, but his internal clock was taking some time to reset from this mission. Everyone was feeling the loss of Hector, and second guessing themselves on the seemingly botched yet ultimately successful rescue of Betty Blue. He glanced over at the hospital bed, his eyes resting on the assortment of electrodes, tubes and wiring covering his friend. The machines hummed and beeped sporadically, but the patient remained motionless. Alive yes, but still unconscious. Jonas reflected back on the last 2 days. They had rushed Grey into surgery immediately to repair the punctured lung and broken bones. The doctors insisted upon keeping him medicated for the first 48 hours in an effort to let his body heal. Knowing his friend's demeanor, Jonas couldn't help but agree. If Charlie had woken up, he thought to himself with a smile, he would have ripped the wires off and hightailed it out of there ASAP.

A soft snore woke him from his thoughts and Jonas turned his attention to the occupied pull out chair on the other side of the bed. Anderson was uncomfortably twisted into a sleeping position, with her feet dangling a few inches above the floor. He smiled to himself as the door pushed in gently and his wife walked into the room. "Good morning dear one," he got to his feet and kissed his wife full on the lips.

"Has Charles woken up yet?" she asked with concern in her voice. She went to the bed and carefully smoothed his blankets around his small frame, her maternal instincts taking charge. "No, not yet." He answered the next question before she could even ask it, "and the doctors are not worried, his body is healing at its own pace. Let him be." As he put on his jacket, he nodded in Anderson's direction, "he's being left in good hands, and I'll stop by after services again. Let me just take this call and we'll be off." Jonas didn't wait for her to answer but dashed out into the hallway while answering his cell phone.

Molly stood over Grey, in silent prayer for both him and Hector. "Lord knows we could all do with some help this week," she softly said to herself. She busied herself with straightening up the slightly messy room, papers and napkins strewn here and there. As she was refilling the water pitcher, she heard a gurgling noise and turned to see Charlie's eyelids slowly flutter open.

"Wait one second, Charles, just drink this slowly," she said as she held out a hand to help steady the young man as he sipped the cold water. After a few moments, he leaned his head back on the pillow and his eyes suddenly focused on Lisa. Molly followed his gaze and smiled to herself as she started to speak.

"We've all been quiet worried about you young man, I can't tell you how glad I am so see you finally awake."

His voice was weak and raspy, not taking his eyes from Lisa, he asked Molly, "how long was I out?"

"About 2 days now. And she hasn't left your side since they wheeled you in here after surgery." She nodded at the sleeping figure and continued, "You should have seen the fight she put up when the nurse tried to tell her that only family members could stay overnight."

Charlie still stared at Lisa, his heart racing but not from the injuries down to his body. He felt overwhelmed with love for her, love and hope. He wanted to jump up, grab her in his arms, kiss her and confess what he hoped she knew already. But he could barely move, and he felt the pain with every breath he took. _Soon_, he thought, _I'll tell her as soon as I can._

Molly saw his eyes begin to close and knew he needed his rest, so she gathered up her things and turned to find her husband walking back into the room. "Ready to go darling?" Jonas asked a split second before he noticed that Charlie was attempting to move under the thin blanket on the bed. "Well, well, look who's up. How are you feeling Sgt?"

Charlie avoided the question, but locked eyes with his team leader. "Hector." Charlie shook his head and grimaced, "it's my fault Top. He's dead and it's my fault." Charlie couldn't get the sight of it out of his mind, his best friend. His hand began to tremble and he was close to breaking down, if not for Molly. The woman rushed to his side, and cautiously took hold of his hand. "You hush now, you hear. It's not your fault. He died doing what he loved, and rescuing someone he loved. You. Anyone of you would have done the same. And he wouldn't want you to be here feeling guilty either, so knock off that talk right now. What he'd want you to do is stop acting like a fool and tell that girl," she whispered this last sentence to Charlie, hoping not to wake up Lisa, "that you love her." Molly stood up straight, looking between the two men, waiting for someone to say something.

Finally Jonas broke the silence, "the doc told me the base dentist would be by to see you in a few days. Need to replace those missing teeth so you'll have your pretty smile back when you report for duty." Jonas joked to his friend as he turned to leave, "She just fell asleep a couple of hours ago, but if you want I could wake her up before we go?" Jonas nodded in Anderson's direction. "She's going to be very happy to see you." Charlie cautiously shook his head, "no, let her sleep. But thanks Jonas. Thanks for everything."

Jonas and Molly said their goodbyes and left the room.


End file.
